Bram Stoker's Kagato
by Galaxy1001D
Summary: In Victorian England, Count Kagato of Transylvania stalks the land and has Ryoko in his power! Can Tenchi Harker, Ayeka Murray, and Doctor von Washu save her without becoming victims themselves? Can a child's faith restore the balance and save the day?
1. Welcome to My Castle

The curtains blocked the stage from view. When a diminutive, redheaded young woman stepped through the curtains the stage was still hidden. The green-eyed carrot top was only four feet high, but her hair was arranged in a wild ponytail to add at least four inches more height. She was dressed in a somber Victorian dress complete with cameo brooch at her throat. She held a fan that she unfolded in front of her mouth to peer evilly at her audience. After a dramatic pause, she folded her fan with a snap and smiled a predatory grin.

"Ladies and gentlemen," her voice seemed strangely loud after the deafening silence. "The story that follows may scare you. It may even terrify you. We ask that pregnant women, those with heart problems and others with weak constitutions please excuse yourselves at this time. No one will think less of you, and we ask that the ladies in the audience please refrain from screaming during the narrative."

"What about the men?" came a call from the audience.

"What?" the redhead blinked in confusion.

"What about the men in the audience, Washu?" asked a tall Japanese man with broad shoulders, eyeglasses, and a pencil-thin mustache. "Are they allowed to scream if it gets too scary?"

"Geeze, Nobuyuki, grow a pair!" Washu snapped irritably. "Sheesh! Ya ought'a be ashamed!" She closed her eyes, cleared her throat, and unfolded her fan in front of her chest. Then she drew the fan before her mouth again and hissed evilly. "And now, on with the show…heh-heh-heh…"

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter One: Welcome to My Castle_

Deep within the Transylvanian Alps, it was business as usual at the hoffbrau. Strangely enough, although the pub was in the most backward and remote region of Romania, the architecture, clothing and food all seemed to be German. It was as if this tiny stop by the side of the road was a suburb of Prague, the capital of Bohemia. So it was understandable that the foreign woman who entered the tavern seemed confused.

The lady was tall slender and blonde and her large expressive blue eyes made her seem even younger than her twenty-four years. Even in her native country of England it was considered unusual for an attractive young woman to travel alone, much less abroad, but the girl considered herself a modern product of the 1890's and unconfined by the traditions of earlier generations. Her skin was a dark bronze and that was rather unfortunate, for pale complexions were considered beautiful back home in Victorian London. Although her hair was secured to her hat by her nine-inch long hatpins in the Gibson style, three large curls snaked loose, one at her forehead and one before each ear. Her delicate ears seemed almost pointed, but since interest in fairies was making a comeback in Great Britain, the girl didn't mind and always wore her hair so her ears were visible. She was dressed as properly as a professional woman could be for travel, in a jacket with leg-o-mutton sleeves, her blouse buttoned up to the tie at her neck and a long skirt that nearly obscured the ankles of her boots. Hands clad in kidskin gloves clasped her suitcase before her, as if she was trying to protect her legs.

"Um, excuse me…" she asked with voice that conveyed sweetness and vulnerability. Strangely enough, there was not a trace of a British accent. "Am I at the right stop? Is this the village of Alacard, Transylvania?"

"Why yes it is, Little Missy," replied the innkeeper, a large hairy man with a large hairy mustache. "What brings you to our fair village?" Although the country was Romania, and his clothes were German, he spoke perfect American English. The lady did not seem to notice.

"Oh," she smiled and drew a white business card out of a tiny purse called a reticule. "My name is Mihoshi Renfield. I'm a solicitor, and I have an appointment with Count Kagato, who lives in a castle around here somewhere…"

Mihoshi's words died in her throat as the tavern crowd reacted with fear and loathing. She was nearly knocked down when several patrons rushed past her to exit the establishment. "Waah!" she cried as she spun around clutching her suitcase for dear life.

"Count Kagato!" the innkeeper exclaimed in dismay. "Are you mad? Why would you ever want to go to Castle Kagato?"

"Why, the count wants to move to England and…oh my, I just broke client-lawyer confidentiality!" Mihoshi put a gloved hand to her mouth.

"He wants to _move away_?" asked the innkeeper. "Why now, that's different!" He smiled genially. "I'd be happy to give you directions, pretty lady."

"Why thank you, that's very kind of you," the young woman smiled. "Where is it? The coachman refused to take me the rest of the way. He wouldn't even tell me where it was!"

"If you look outside, you will see a mountain with dark clouds belching lightning bolts," replied the innkeeper who tried to suppress a shudder. "Follow the path up the mountain. If the wolves don't get you, you can't miss it."

"Oh," Mihoshi blinked as she took in the part of the wolves. "Thank you very much. Well, I better get going before it gets dark. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye," waved the innkeeper, who then shook his head sadly and said, "The poor girl."

By the time the girl got to the castle, the sun was a red disk slipping below the horizon. Castle Kagato was an ominous forbidding edifice that crouched on the mountain like an angry lion. Twin guardhouses of turreted stone, broken by years of use and exposure, stood before her. Beyond, a forty-foot wide precipice, a chasm of dizzying depth that disappeared into the fog-shrouded distance below, gaped between the Transylvanian Alps and Castle Kagato. The lowered drawbridge of old, shorn-up wooden beams hung precariously between Mihoshi and the arched entrance to the courtyard. The chains of the drawbridge creaked in the wind, their rusty iron straining with the weight. From atop the high walls, stone gargoyles seemed to stare at the young lawyer from their hollow sockets and grin hideously. A rotting wooden portcullis green with growth, hung in the entry tunnel, was raised just high enough for Mihoshi to go under without ducking her head. Beyond, the main doors to Castle Kagato stood open. A rich warm light spilled from them into the courtyard. Torches fluttered sadly in sconces on both sides of the open doors.

"Oh my," Mihoshi uttered as she carried her suitcase into the main keep. "What a horrible place! No wonder he wants to move." She jumped as lightning illuminated the courtyard behind her.

She turned to see the rotten portcullis lower behind her to block off the exit, and heard an ominous creaking that could only be the drawbridge being raised. So far she had not seen any servants. The girl imagined an ingenious series of pulleys and levers that would control egress from the castle without having to expose the staff to the elements, and the elements appeared to be getting more hostile by the moment. She involuntarily leaped again as thunder shook the castle, and then turned when she heard music.

Twenty feet into the castle, a second set of doors swung open effortlessly as if to confirm her diagnosis of hidden catches and pulleys. Sad and majestic organ tones flowed out from the doors as if beckoning her forward. She tried to ignore the statues of horned and winged monstrosities that glared down at her, their eyes flickering in the torchlight.

She entered a great hall whose cracked and faded ceiling frescos displayed centuries of decay. Inside, the sounds of the growing storm outside seemed more subdued. To her left were two bronze doors that seemed sealed shut against the ages. Directly ahead, a wide staircase climbed high into the darkness. To her right, organ music floated in from vaulted hall lit by torches. Her eyes were drawn to the large double doors that were slightly ajar, allowing a steady bright light to escape through the crack. Swells of organ music could be heard behind the doors spilling their melody of power and defeat into the hall.

Shyly opening a door, the nervous lawyer entered a magnificent room, brilliantly lit by three massive crystal chandeliers. Pillars of stone gleamed against dull white marble walls, supporting the ceiling. In the center of the room, a long heavy table was covered with fine white damask cloth. The table was laden with delectable foods of every type; roasted beef basted in savory sauce, roots and herbs of wide variety, and sweet fruits and vegetables. A place was set at Mihoshi's side of the table with fine delicate china and silver.

At the far end of the room stood a massive organ. Its pipes blared out a thunderous melody whose tone blended greatness and despair. Seated before the keys, his back to the girl, was a caped figure pounding at the ivory keys in rapturous ecstasy. As Mihoshi stood mute in the doorway, the man suddenly stopped and a deep silence fell over the dining hall.

Mihoshi let out a frightened squeak as the figure rose and turned slowly to face her. The illumination of the chandeliers, almost blinding after the guttering torchlight, revealed his features in perfect clarity. The man was tall, his broad shoulders cloaked by an olive green cape. Under his billowing cape was a dark blue robe that was bisected by a thick purple stripe down the front. Only a thin three-pronged broach at his collarbone broke the stripe, although the purple stripe continued past up his high starched collar. His hair was a blue-gray and nearly matched the kidskin gloves he wore. Although clean-shaven, his sideburns were so long they drooped down to his shoulders like two ponytails. His bloodless face was deathly white. Dark, round-lensed pince-nez perched on the bridge of his nose, but apparently he did not need them to look over the table because his hideous eyes gazed over them at Mihoshi in an unblinking stare. The pupils of his yellow eyes appeared to be blood red, but the most disturbing element of them was the fact that they did not appear to be round, but seemed to be vertical slits like those of a cat…or a snake.

"Welcome to my castle, my dear," said a silky voice that conveyed both politeness and menace. "Enter freely, and of your own will."

"Oh," Mihoshi blinked as if the words released her from a spell. "Thank you. Are you Count Vladimir Kagato? I'm the solicitor you sent for from Yosho, Harker, and Renfield."

"Indeed?" The count raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that they sent a woman overseas for this type of assignment."

"Oh, I'm Renfield," Mihoshi assured him. "Mihoshi Renfield. We thank you for your patronage, your lordship." She extended her hand, although he was still on the far side of the table, then self-consciously bowed in a kowtowing motion before him. "I'm sorry, where are my manners, my lord? The journey here must have rattled me."

"No need to be so formal," the count smiled mirthlessly. "You don't have to refer to me as 'my lord'. 'Master' will do."

"Oh um, y-yes…yes Master," Mihoshi nodded nervously. She didn't think he was joking. Kagato moved around the table to her side with preternatural speed, yet he did not seem to be hurrying at all. To Mihoshi's eyes, it was as if he was standing perfectly still, and gliding toward her as if he was less an inch off the floor or rolling on silent wheels.

"Please, Miss Renfield, you must be starving," he took her hand and led her to the table. "Help yourself," he said as he sat her down and pushed her chair in. "We can make small talk while you eat."

"Thank you," Mihoshi replied. "This all looks so good, but there is no place for _you_. Have you already eaten?"

"I shall dine…later," he smirked. "Right now, all I hunger for is some light conversation. It has been a long time since I entertained such delectable…company."

"Oh," Mihoshi blushed. "I don't want you to think that I'm a woman of loose morals. Just because I travel alone."

"Mihoshi," the count raised an eyebrow as he changed the subject, "that's an unusual name for an…Englishwoman."

"Oh, there's a funny story behind it," the girl smiled. "My father and all of his friends were in the navy, and they all brought home Japanese brides. They let their wives choose the names of their children, so now my friends and I have Japanese names!" She took a bite of her food.

"I see," Kagato nodded, "and is it usual for women to be solicitors in…England?"

Mihoshi blushed and choked on her food, hitting her collarbone with her fist until she could breath normally. "No, um, to be perfectly honest, I'm the first woman that I know of to have ever passed the bar. I guess that's one for the record books, huh?" She smiled at the count, but when he didn't reply she continued talking. "To be honest, Tenchi was supposed to take this trip, but he suffered food poisoning at the last minute, so I took his place. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all." The count's smile was warm, but his eyes were cold. "This assignment is just the experience you need to pave your way in a man's world. If you can handle the challenge of managing my affairs, we should have a long and profitable…relationship."

Mihoshi gulped at that word, and the way the count seemed to be leering hungrily at her. "A-are you sure you don't want anything?" she asked her host. "The wine is really good. Even if you're not hungry, you could have some of that."

"I never drink…wine, Miss Renfield," he answered smoothly.

Mihoshi gulped audibly. So he _was_ trying to get her drunk! "So, um, i-is it just you who are moving into Carfax Abbey or will you be taking the family?" At that moment, she desperately prayed that he was married, or that some other family member would appear.

"Just me," he said a little too quickly, and his eyes darted around the room as if searching for a hidden predator. How odd, every person in Transylvania that Mihoshi had asked about Castle Kagato had done the same thing. That settled it. The count really needed to move away from this dreadful place to the sunny shores of England. The sooner, the better. "My family is very old, and the blood of many prominent figures flow in my veins. What family that I do have will be staying here...forever."

"Oh, is everything all right?" Mihoshi asked innocently.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Kagato's predatory eyes fixed on the helpless girl.

"Oh, uh…nothing," she quickly corrected herself. "It's just that while we've been talking you have been dramatically pausing before ending a…um…sentence."

Kagato tried his best at a disarming grin. "It's the high altitude. Up here in the castle on top of the peak the air is very…thin. When making long statements it's not unusual to have to pause for…breath."

"Oh," Mihoshi blinked. "Riight…I see what you mean! I'll bet I've been doing the same thing without even…realizing it!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Kagato gave her a wry smile.

After dinner, the count showed her to her room, explaining that most of his servants had already departed for England but assuring her that her sleeping arrangements would be nothing less than royal.

The heavy red draperies that hid the bedroom window from view muffled the sounds of rain and thunder. Their tassels of golden fiber glinted in the light of three candelabras sitting atop small tables about the room. Tall white candles burned with a bright, steady light. A large bed, canopied by silken curtains sat with its headboard against the wall.

Huddled in the blankets, Mihoshi began to wish that she had blown the candles out before going to bed. The shadows that they upon the walls really played havoc with her imagination. For example, she imagined that three women in scandalously provocative bed wear had drifted through the wall like ghosts. One had fiery red hair and a bestial countenance on her face. Another had a wild blue-gray hair that was almost white and her crimson eyes never blinked. The last appeared to be a blonde ivory-skinned child, no older than little Sasami Morris back home, who was less than nine years old.

"Oh hello," Mihoshi said to the pale smiling intruders. "Are you guests too, or are you family?" The women didn't answer. One started to rub against a table seductively. The other began to lustfully stroke the bedpost. The child just stood next to the bed and smiled at Mihoshi. "Oh my," she exclaimed. "What are you doing to the furniture? I-I really don't think you should be doing that…" The two voluptuous women climbed into her bed, while the child gazed beatifically at Mihoshi, her face less than a foot away from the Englishwoman's. "Um…what's going on? Is this a _yuri_ fic? We'll lose our 'T' rating, you know…" Her heart began to race as they stroked her body under the covers. "Hey! Excuse me…I-I'll have you know that's my knee you're straddling!" The two women began to gyrate on top of her. "Um…you _really_ shouldn't be doing that…No, Stop!" So flustered was the girl at the erotic antics of her assailants, that she didn't notice the colorless little girl take her hand and lick her fingers. "You who! Um…ladies? I'm only interested in this sort of thing in _Tenchi Universe_, and even then only with Kiyone! Oh! Ah... No, no this is wrong! This is wrong! This is wrong, do you hear me, wrong! this is…oooh! Oh! I still think that Kiyone should be here…"

So aroused and distracted by the forbidden actions of her nocturnal visitors, Mihoshi didn't discern the sharp incisors and flashing teeth that appeared underneath the lips of the sensual trio. Each female had chosen a vein, whether on her wrist or her throat and were teasing her skin with their fangs.

Suddenly appearing from the darkness as if by magic was the towering form of Count Kagato. "Ramia, Nagi, Yugi! Away, you flawed creations," he snapped. "I have other plans for her."

The two curvaceous females slinked away from the stunned Englishwoman and disappeared into the shadows. The child, however, continued to suckle on Mihoshi's finger. Grunting in frustration, Kagato pulled the colorless child away and picked her up. "That's enough, Yugi," he stated. "She is part of my plan; she cannot be damaged, yet."

"I want some more," whispered Yugi eerily.

"You want some more what?" snapped Kagato.

"I want some more lines, for starters," growled the little girl. "In _Tenchi in Tokyo_, I was in every episode, whereas you were only in two in the original series and just three or four in _Tenchi Universe_! _I_ should be the title character in this story, not you! I—"

Her tirade was halted abruptly when Kagato threw her out the window that had opened silently as if by magic. The window shut and reclasped itself, and the wind and thunder was again muffled as the red curtains shut to block out the flash of lighting. "The sooner I move out of here, the better. Three brides. What was I thinking?"

With the flair of a stage magician, Kagato snapped his fingers over Mihoshi's stunned and prostrate form. The blonde seemed to come out of a trance and shuddered and looked around quickly as if unsure of her location.

"Lord Kagato!" Mihoshi stammered, holding the blankets up against her chest as if she had forgotten that she was wearing a thick nightshirt. "What? What happened? Who were those women? What's going on?"

"Miss Renfield, you were having a nightmare," the count assured her.

"A nightmare?" Mihoshi repeated, "but it was so real, so vivid. Two voluptuous women; grinding, heaving. I don't know how to describe it..." she paused in thought. "Um...have you ever been to Paris?"

"Look deep into my eyes, Miss Renfield," the count suggested. "I can help you to…relax."

"Oh no," Mihoshi shook her head. "I don't think I will. My mother always said that nice girls don't do things like that." She put her hands on the sides of her face and glanced at her lap in embarrassment. "Oh my! I don't believe this! This is just like in those romances! I'm in my nightdress, alone in a castle being seduced by rich nobleman! This is all happening too fast…"

"Miss Renfield!" The count seized her chin and turned her head to face him. " Look deep into my eyes…deeper…deeper…You are getting sleepy…"

Mihoshi's blue eyes shut and the count could hear her snoring.

"Miss Renfield," the count blinked. "Wake up. I'm not done talking to you."

"What?" Mihoshi muttered as her eyes sleepily fluttered open. "Is it time for breakfast already?"

"You are getting sleepy…You are…" the count let his sentence die as the bronze-skinned blonde shut her eyes and started snoring again. She started to drool on his kid glove. "Mihoshi!" he shouted as he shook her by her chin. "Wake up!"

"Eeee!" the girl's eyes snapped open and she started to struggle to get away, but her chin was caught in his iron grip.

"You are under my control!" Kagato insisted. "I am the master and you are my slave! You will take me to England and you will be my hands and my eyes! Do you understand?"

"I will take your hands and eyes to England…" the girl murmured dully.

"Yes, and the rest of me, too," he nodded. "You have no will of your own." He let go of her chin and lowered his voice slightly. "I have utter control of you and your only loyalty is to me. In return, I shall give you…"

"Yes?" asked Mihoshi eagerly.

"The blood of flies and insects to slake your hunger," he replied, "and if you serve me well, you shall enjoy the vitae of nice plump rats!"

"Ew," shuddered the blonde. "Well, I guess a female solicitor just starting out can't be too choosey with her clients!"

_Next: Ship of Horror_


	2. Ship of Horror

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way. _

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker _

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima _

_Chapter Two: Ship of Horror _

On the treacherous seas, the Russian ship _Demeter _was tossed by stormy waves. In the cargo hold, poor Mihoshi did her best to secure the count and his possessions. "Oh my," murmured the distraught blonde, "the coffin has come loose!" No longer clad in her the blouse, jacket and long skirt of a proper Victorian lady, Mihoshi was clad in a set of brown trousers with a matching vest and a white shirt whose collar was secured with a loose tie. Her blonde hair was bound in ponytail high in the back. Instead of wearing high-heeled shoes, she was wearing practical boots as she climbed on to the sturdy casket to keep it secure as the ship rocked back and forth.

"Yaaah!" Mihoshi screamed as the coffin slid across the hold and slammed into the bulkhead, knocking her off. "Ouch," she groaned. "That hurts…Oh my!" To her horror, a box had come open spilling its contents on the floor. "We've been robbed! There's nothing in here but dirt!" Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes. "Oh no! It's all my fault! I should have paid more attention when the workmen were loading it! Now who knows where our things have gone!" She pounded on the coffin with her fist. "Master Kagato! Wake up! We've been robbed! Somebody took our things and put dirt in the box to weigh it down!"

"Renfield, you fool," Kagato's voice hissed as the coffin opened. Count Kagato rose out of the coffin like a ghost, without even using his hands to climb out. "What are you blathering about now?"

"It's our stuff, Master!" reported a teary-eyed Mihoshi. "Somebody took it and put dirt in the box to make it look like our things were still there."

The levitating Kagato relaxed into an almost gentle smile as his feet touched the ground. "No need to concern yourself. I not only draw power from the blood that I drink, but the soil of my homeland. I've taken the liberty of packing several boxes of earth from Transylvania to ensure that I shall always have a place to rest."

"Oh, what a relief," the lovely lackey sighed. "I thought we were robbed! What should I do now, Master?"

"Just clean up the dirt and repack it as best you can," the diabolical dominator responded. "I'm going to go up on deck for…a bite."

"Oh, do you need directions to the mess hall?" Mihoshi asked innocently.

"No, I thought that I would start with the first mate," smiled the terrible Transylvanian.

* * *

Weeks later, an old man with spectacles and a moustache gazed out to sea after checking the main lamp of a lonely lighthouse. His long gray ponytail was visible in back of his coat and a captain's hat was on his head. He filled a long, curvy pipe with tobacco and struck a match to light it.

"Father?" asked an awkward male voice. "Where are you? Are you way up here?"

"Up here, Nobuyuki," the old man called.

A tall black-haired man with eyeglasses and a pencil thin moustache appeared from the stairs. "Oh there you are, Father. Couldn't resist a chance to watch the sunset, huh?"

"At my age, a sunset can mean many things," the old lighthouse keeper nodded.

"I'm confused, Father," Nobuyuki said to the old man, "you've always had such a big part in all the _Tenchi Muyo_ series. Why are you stuck playing the part of an elderly lighthouse keeper in this story?"

"You had a bigger part than I did in _Tenchi in Tokyo_," the old man reminded him. "I don't mind. I'll probably be playing many different roles in this story. I could be a Scotland Yard detective in a later chapter, or a senior partner in Tenchi's law firm."

"It's hard playing an Englishmen when you've got a Japanese name," sighed Nobuyuki. "I don't think I'm going to have a big part in this story."

"I'm not worried," the old man replied. "'Katsuhito' may be awfully Japanese, but 'Yosho' could be European. Maybe I could be a Norwegian or something."

"Norwegian? As if," Nobuyuki mocked. The two men shared some lighthearted laughter. "So are you ready for dinner?"

"As long as it's not bangers and mash again," Katsuhito sighed. "If I have to eat one more British meal I'll be sick to my stomach."

"Not to worry, I got rice balls and miso soup," Nobuyuki assured him. "It's not much, but at least it's not English."

"It will be _Man Han Chuan Shi_ after eating mutton for the last few days," Katsuhito breathed in relief.

"Hey, father?" Nobuyuki pointed out to the distance. "Is that a ship?"

Katsuhito followed his son-in-law's gaze. "Why yes, I believe it is. That's the Russian ship _Demeter _if I'm not mistaken."

"It's a good thing that you got this lamp lit when you did," said Nobuyuki. "It's getting dark fast, and already a ship needs guidance. Say, how exactly does a lighthouse help a ship, anyway?"

"Well, the rocks around here can be pretty dangerous," the old man responded, "especially when it gets dark or the fog rolls in. The peninsula that we are on sticks out enough to be a hazard for ships, so the light lets their crews know where we are and tells them to stay away."

"It tells them to stay away?" Nobuyuki blinked. "I thought it was supposed to guide them in to a dock or something."

"No," the old man shook his head. "The nearest port is almost ten miles away. It's supposed to warn them to stay away."

"Then why is it heading straight for us?"

"What?"

Sure enough, the _Demeter_ was heading straight for the lighthouse. If the tramp steamer didn't change course, it would wreck on the rocks below.

"Change course, you fools!" Katsuhito shouted. "Can't you see the light?"

"It's getting awfully close," gulped Nobuyuki.

As the _Demeter_ crashed on the shore below, a woman's wail could be heard on the wind.

"Quick Nobuyuki!" The old man commanded. "Get the first aid kit! We've got to check for survivors!"

"Right away father!"

By the time the two of them reached the injured vessel, the sun had set and they had to use lanterns. They walked over to see the _Demeter_ listing at a rakish tilt.

"Holy cow!" Nobuyuki cried, even though he didn't come from India.

"What's that?" Katsuhito shined his lantern at the railing of the ship to see a furry creature leap from the deck onto the beach below.

"What was that?" Nobuyuki gasped. "Some sort of dog?"

"A wolf, if I'm not mistaken," Katsuhito's face was set in a stern expression. "Something terrible has come to these shores. Something that has no business being on God's green earth. I fear for the days ahead."

Nobuyuki gave no sign of having heard the old man. He was at least twenty feet away and shouting to get Katsuhito's attention. "Father! Look at this! The sand is all bunched up against the hull on this side! We should be able to get on board without much trouble!"

"All right," the old man nodded. "Lead the way."

The two men explored the ship in trepidation.

"Where's the crew?" Nobuyuki asked. "There's no injured. No survivors. There aren't any dead bodies."

"Let's go to the wheelhouse," Katsuhito suggested. "If nobody's there, maybe we can find the ship's log."

Although navigation was difficult, it wasn't long before a woman's crying led them to the brightly lit bridge. There they found a blonde woman dressed in men's clothes crying her blue eyes out. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "There wasn't anyone else on board and I did the best that I could! I don't know how to steer a ship, but we ran out of crew!"

_NEXT: A Blonde in Bedlam _


	3. A Blonde In Bedlam

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Three: A Blonde in Bedlam_

"Look Kiyone," said Mihoshi as she entered her friend's office. "Look what the papers say! It says here in the _Times_ that a Russian ship called the _Demeter_ ran aground near a lighthouse ten miles from Portsmouth! The crew was missing, the biggest mystery at sea since the _Marie Celeste_! According to the papers only one person was found on board alive and she has been sent to the Bethlem Royal Hospital in London for treatment. Although fine physically, it is believed that her ordeal drove her mad! That's incredible! What could have done that, Kiyone? What could have caused all of the crew to go missing and drive the only surviving passenger insane? The paper isn't releasing her name, so we don't know who she is. Since you work at the Bethlem Royal Hospital as an alienist, I was wondering if you knew who she is."

"I know who she is," Doctor Kiyone Seward sighed. "She's the first woman ever to have passed the bar and get her law degree, and perhaps my dearest friend." Like her friend, she spoke without the slightest trace of a British accent. "I can't believe that this has happened to her." Kiyone put a handkerchief to her blue eyes and dabbed discretely. An attractive athletic young woman in her early twenties, Kiyone was a medical intern at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, England, better known as Bedlam, the world's oldest psychiatric hospital. Currently, she was dressed in men's clothes, finding the skirts and laced corset impractical when dealing with the more dangerous and unstable of her patients. On her head she wore an orange towel.

"Cheer up, Kiyone," Mihoshi patted her shoulder. "At least she got back to England safe and sound. What's wrong with her, anyway?"

Kiyone glanced at Mihoshi with misty eyes and then glanced away. "She…she seems to have regressed into a childlike state of innocence. She exhibits a short attention span and suffers from frequent difficulties to focus on a single thought track and, due to her clumsiness, often hurts herself."

The sound of multiple impacts interrupted Kiyone's thoughts. "Ouch!" Mihoshi squealed. "I'm sorry, Kiyone, I shouldn't have leaned against that bookcase! I'll pick the books up, don't you worry!"

"I'm not worried, Mihoshi," Kiyone assured her friend. "Don't worry about it. I'll have an orderly pick them up after our session."

"Oh it's no problem at all, Kiyone," chirped the ever-cheerful Mihoshi. "I can do it. I think that I remember the order they were in…" Her voice trailed away.

"Mihoshi?" the doctor asked. "What is it?"

"Oh, it's just a spider," Mihoshi replied, trying to be nonchalant. "Don't worry, I'll get rid of it."

"I thought you were afraid of spiders," Kiyone got up from her desk just in time to see the blonde pick the arachnid off the floor and pop it in her mouth. "Mihoshi! What are you doing?"

Mihoshi chewed for a moment, and then swallowed. "What?"

"You just put a spider in our mouth!" Although psychiatrists were never supposed to show alarm, Kiyone could not contain her revulsion at seeing her best friend eat a spider right off the ground. "That is so gross! Why did you do that?"

"Are you feeling all right, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked her best friend. "You've been under a lot of stress lately. Maybe taking care of all those crazy people is starting to get to you."

"Heh-heh," Kiyone chuckled nervously. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should take the night off. Tenchi and the others invited me to the opera. Maybe I should join them."

"Yeah," Mihoshi smiled. "That's a good idea! I'll hold the fort while you're gone! If there's an emergency here at the asylum, I'll send a messenger and let you know."

Once again, Kiyone was overcome by emotion. "What would I do without you, Mihoshi?"

"Let's see how your hair turned out, Kiyone!" chirped the bubbly blonde.

"Alright," agreed the long-legged woman as she rose from her chair. "Let's go to the mirror and see. I can't wait to see what the world thinks of me as a redhead."

Outside in the grounds of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, an ear-piercing shriek could be heard. Since many of the patients of the facility were considered clinically insane, those in earshot tried to ignore the alarming sound and go about their business.

"Mihoshi!" Kiyone gasped as she stared in horror at the mirror. "What happened to my hair? It's gone…it's gone…teal!"

The leggy blonde stared in surprise into the mirror with her friend and physician, completely ignoring the fact that she could look directly at Kiyone without using the reflection. "Oh wow! You are so right, Kiyone," Mihoshi nodded. "It certainly didn't come out the way we planned it. I wonder what went wrong?"

The strain of dealing with the sight of her best friend reduced to a childlike parody of herself had weakened Kiyone's resistance to setbacks and frustration. Before she knew it, she was releasing waves of pent-up emotion that should never be revealed in polite Victorian society, let alone in front of a sensitive patient. "What am I going to do?" the delicious doctor wailed. "I can't go the opera like this! I'll be the laughing stock of the medical association."

"Gee, Kiyone," the tall blonde patted her on the shoulder. "Don't make such a big deal out of it. That color is actually very pretty, and if anybody asks, just tell them that you dyed your hair to keep one of your patients from freaking out, or something. It could be a great conversation piece!"

Kiyone struggled to see the positive side of her predicament. "Yeah, you're right. It will be dark outside, and in the opera box, people will just think that I dyed my hair to get attention. It's not the disaster that it looks like." She gazed at the floor and sighed. "Walking around in the daytime might be a little awkward though."

"Just tell people you're American," Mihoshi suggested. "Those Yankees can get away with _anything_ these days."

"You really are my best friend," Kiyone looked at Mihoshi with glistening blue eyes.

"If anything ever happened to me, I know you'd always be there for me," Mihoshi smiled back.

"And I always will," whispered Kiyone.

Meanwhile, a similar scene was being played out at the fashionable townhouse of one Ayeka Murray, who had inherited a comfortable fortune from her parents. The screaming, not the tenderness was repeated almost word for word.

"Eeeee!" Ayeka screamed, her tiny mouth expanding to the size of a tea saucer.

"Aaaah!" Sasami screamed, scaring away her cat and pet rabbit.

"Eeeee!" Ayeka screamed, her eyes bulging out in shock and horror.

"Aaaah!" Sasami screamed clutching at her face as if she was afraid her cheeks would fly away.

"My hair!" Ayeka cried her eyes glued to the mirror. "What happened to my hair? Something has gone wrong! It's gone purple!"

"Something went wrong with my hair, too, Ayeka," said Sasami Morris, a prepubescent orphan girl that Ayeka had adopted as her personal maid. "It's all blue!" Ayeka tended to treat the girl as a little sister or a daughter rather than an overlooked domestic, even if the child was (shudder) a catholic, rather than a member of the proper Anglican faith.

In xenophobic Victorian England it was not a social advantage to be the slightest bit "unEnglish." Thanks to her round Irish face and large innocent eyes, Ayeka had mostly managed to evade the stigma of having an 'exotic' ancestry that many of her friends with Japanese mothers did. Still, she and her close circle of friends still made efforts to appear "more British" whenever possible. Today's attempt involved hair dyes.

"What's the matter, Ayeka?" snickered Ryoko Westerna, Ayeka's best friend and rival. "Don't like royal purple?"

"It's a beautiful color, just not in my hair!" Ayeka exclaimed. "How did _your _dye job turn out? Go ahead, take that towel off your head, I dare you!" Of all of the girls in the room, only Ayeka had the slightest trace of an Oxford English accent. The other two could have been Americans for Peter's sake.

"Sure," smirked Ryoko, "don't mind if I do." With a flourish, she removed the towel that was wrapped around her cranium to reveal…lustrous shiny jet-black hair. "Ha-ha-ha!" Ryoko laughed cruelly.

"Hey!" exclaimed indignant Ayeka. "That's the same color your hair was to begin with!"

"I guess I messed up the formula and put water in my pan instead of dye," Ryoko smiled devilishly. "Oops!"

"You did this on purpose!" Ayeka pointed an accusing finger at Ryoko. "I got the dyes from you!"

"I'm so sorry, Ayeka," came Ryoko's insincere apology. "The chemist warned me that the dyes wouldn't wash out. You're just going to have to let your hair grow, I guess."

"Now what do I do?" Ayeka moaned. "Tenchi is coming to take us out to the opera in twenty minutes!"

"I don't know," cooed Ryoko, unable to conceal her glee. "I guess you'll have to cancel, but don't worry, Tenchi and I will have a great time!"

"You fiend!" cried the purple-haired Ayeka. "I thought your plan was to flirt with another man and make Tenchi jealous!"

"That was my original plan," shrugged an unapologetic Ryoko, "but then I realized that he might seek the arms of another if I break his heart like that…"

"I can understand Ayeka," Sasami muttered, "but why did you have to sabotage _my_ hair too?"

"I'm sorry, Sasami," giggled Ryoko. "I didn't think that Ayeka would get you to dye your hair too. I couldn't stop her without giving it all away."

"And the worst part is, we gave some to Kiyone," Sasami continued. "We better get in touch with her before she works up the courage to use it."

Ryoko again burst out into hysterical laughter. Even the hairbrush that bounced off her head didn't dampen her spirits.

Later that evening, Tenchi Harker, young solicitor and man-about-town, rung the door to the Murray house and was greeted by little Sasami in her black dress, white cap and apron. Tenchi was in a tuxedo and had his top hat in his white formal gloves. His shiny black hair was tied in a short ponytail. He stared down at Sasami's blue ponytails and said (without the slightest trace of a British accent), "Why…Sasami, your hair looks…interesting today."

"Thank you, Tenchi," Sasami nodded, not even bothering to add the title 'Mister'. "We had a little trouble with the dye formula today."

"Oh my goodness," replied the young man. "I hope Ayeka's turned out okay."

"Tennnnchiiii…" came Ryoko's musical voice. The young woman looked stunning in her evening dress that had an elegant sweeping skirt, a tight bodice, a low décolletage, long kidskin gloves, glittering necklace, earrings, and tiara, and miles of frou-frou. "I'm ready to go with you to the opera, cutie-pie! Ayeka ran into some trouble, and won't be able to make it!"

"This trouble wouldn't have anything to do with hair dye, would it?" Tenchi asked her skeptically.

"No…" Ryoko shook her head and pursed her lips in a melodramatic display of false innocence. "No no no…it has nothing to do with that…She just…doesn't feel good that's all."

"Riiiight," murmured the skeptical solicitor. "Didn't _you_ buy the hair dyes for everyone?"

"Did I?" The girl scratched her head. "I don't remember doing so! Maybe I did, I don't remember."

"Ah-huh," Tenchi nodded sarcastically. "Well _I'm_ convinced."

"Tenchi? Is that you?" Normally Ayeka took a long time to get dressed, but Tenchi suspected that she was quick tonight to prevent her rival from having a date without her. As if a proper gentleman would be seen alone with an unescorted woman!

"I'm here, Ayeka," Tenchi called out. "Ryoko tells me…" His words died in his throat. Coming down the stairs was a vision of loveliness that did not belong on this Earth. Ayeka's lovely hair was an exquisite shade of purple and worn in bangs in the front and two long ponytails that nearly extended to the floor in the back. Her evening gown was a matching hue that featured a low cut neckline, a long full skirt and silvery opera gloves to match. Peaking underneath her bangs was an ornate silver tiara engraved with complex Celtic knots and patterns. A silver crucifix dangled on a slender chain around her neck, nearly reaching the white rose that shyly obscured her décolletage from view. All in all, she seemed more like a fairy princess than a spoiled young heiress. "Why Ayeka! You look beautiful!" he gasped.

"Really Tenchi?" Ayeka's face lit up and her beauty was intensified. "Do you really mean it?"

"I do," he said as he gazed her. It was as if a spotlight had shown down from above to illuminate the young heiress.

"Hm?" hummed an alarmed Ryoko as she took in Tenchi's reaction. "Hm?" she glanced back at Ayeka. "Hm?" she turned back to Tenchi. "Hm?" she looked back at Ayeka. Soon her head was going back and forth as if she was watching the world's fastest ping-pong game. "Hm? Hm? Hm? Hm? Grrr," she growled as a tear formed in her eye. Her plan had backfired. Horribly.

_Next: A Night At the Opera_


	4. A Night At The Opera

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato **_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Four: A Night at the Opera_

In the fashionable private box at the Pioneer Theatre in the west end of London, a tuxedoed Tenchi was flanked on either side by lovely ladies.

Ayeka was radiant. Ryoko's sabotaging of her hair dye had actually won Tenchi's admiration. "I just love the opera! How I love this palace of art and beauty!"

"Oh yes Miss Ayeka," Tenchi agreed. "The opera is astonishing! The music is frothed with love, hate, sensuality and unbridled passion... All the things in my life I've managed to suppress so far."

"Grr," Ryoko was not happy with the state of affairs. Rather than be embarrassed to be seen with the purple-haired Ayeka, Tenchi seemed to be proud to be at her side. What to do? What to do? Flirt with a gentleman and get Tenchi jealous? Fat chance of that. Their close circle of friends was all female.

As if on cue, Kiyone entered the box clad in an exquisite white gown. Her teal hair was worn loose, totally defying convention, but beautiful nonetheless.

"Kiyone," Tenchi greeted. "You missed the first act, but the playbill should catch you up."

"That's okay," the depressed doctor sighed. "I don't really think that I'm going to pay much attention to the show anyway."

"Oh my," Ayeka lowering the opera glasses that were suspended at the end of a stick. "Is it Mihoshi? How is she?"

"Not much better," Kiyone shook her head sadly. "She still doesn't remember her trauma and has the attention span of a gnat. I don't know if we are ever going to get _our_ Mihoshi back again. It's as if a part of her entire personality has been suppressed or eliminated somehow. Like she's had a stroke or something."

"My goodness," Ryoko snapped out of her envious funk. "Has she become violent?"

"Just the opposite," Kiyone again shook her head. "She is the sweetest thing. It's as if she doesn't have a single negative impulse in her soul. Depending on your viewpoint, she's either a saint or an idiot."

"Poor Mihoshi," Tenchi murmured.

"If only I could do something!" Kiyone's voice was louder than she intended, so her next words were softer, but no less frustrated. "Psychology is such a new science, we'd be better off calling it an art! We just lock up the loonies and watch them, but there's nothing we can do to help them. It's all so frustrating."

"What about that book by Herbert Spencer?" Tenchi asked. "Did you find that helpful in your work?"

"Spencer! Ha! Don't talk to me about Spencer!" Once again Kiyone raised her voice without meaning to. "Herbert Spencer spent six hundred and forty two pages telling me what I already know. The amount of useful information on psychology that he wrote down in his book you can find in an unabridged dictionary under 'psychiatry'."

"What about that Austrian fellow you've been in correspondence with?" Ayeka asked. "What's-his-name, Sigmund Froud?"

"Freud," Kiyone clarified with disgust. "And you can forget him. He's a pervert who thinks that everything is related to the reproductive drive."

"Yeah?" Ryoko, a lover of 'bodice-ripper' romances, suddenly became alert. "How do you mean?"

"I mean that he has been hypnotizing teenage girls to discover why they are in a state of hysterics," Kiyone replied.

"Seems quite sensible to me," Tenchi cast a furtive glance at Ryoko and Ayeka. 

"Not really, do you know what he came up with?" Kiyone rolled her eyes.

Ayeka, Ryoko, and Tenchi shook their heads.

"He said that at the heart of their neurosis was sexual frustration," said Kiyone, daring to mention a forbidden subject. "Can you imagine such perverted claptrap?"

Both Ayeka and Ryoko were blushing and their eyes darted about guiltily.

"That dirty old man has too much time on his hands," Kiyone sighed. "I hope nobody listens to him, he could set psychiatry back to the dark ages."

"Don't worry, Kiyone," Tenchi smiled. "I'm sure that in a hundred years, no one will even remember his name."

Kiyone seemed to perk up a little at this.

"So now what?" Ayeka asked the question nobody wanted to bring up. "What about Mihoshi? Will she ever be able to live a normal life?"

Kiyone looked down at the ground. "Sure, as a chambermaid or another domestic. But that's a far cry from the intelligent, spirited woman with the indomitable will who was the first woman to pass the bar." A tear formed in her eye. "She could have been a pioneer in women's rights, or the first woman in Parliament, but now she's just an eccentric who assists me in a loony bin. It's not…fair…"

Everyone's eyes misted over as Tenchi gallantly offered Kiyone his shoulder to cry on. Ryoko saw the tender moment through her tear-glazed eyes and hated herself for feeling jealousy when Mihoshi was but a shell of her former self.

"Good Evening," said a sinister voice as the new fangled electrical lights of the theatre flickered as if they were old style kerosene lamps. "I hope that I am not interrupting anything."

The quartet turned to see a tall broad shouldered, handsome man in a purple frock coat and a green cape close the curtain to their private box. "Huh?" they all gasped at the same time.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the mysterious gentleman bowed. "I have recently purchased Carfax Abbey. I am Count Kagato."

"Count Kagato," Kiyone smiled weakly. "Yes, of course. I'm Doctor Seward. I'm your neighbor. Welcome to London."

"Thank you, Doctor," the count nodded. The light reflected off his dark hair, revealing green highlights. His sideburns were unnaturally long and became ponytails that nearly reached his shoulders, similar to Ayeka's now lavender locks. Unlike Ayeka's bangs, his hair was parted down the middle in a widow's peak. His cape had a high collar, making him appear to be priest or magician. Ice-cold lips kissed Kiyone's gloved hand. "I did not expect you to be a woman, let alone one who is so young and beautiful. If I am not being too impertinent, will you introduce me to your friends?"

"Not at all," Kiyone still had her fake smile, for she thought it _was _impertinent to enter a private box without even sending an usher in with a calling card to announce his visit. "This is Ayeka Murray, the wealthy heiress to the Jurai Company's fortune…"

"How do you do?" smiled a demure and darling Ayeka.

"This is Ryoko Westenra, the daughter of the eccentric explorer and Miss Ayeka's live-in companion," continued Kiyone.

"Why hello there…" Ryoko deepened her voice and gave the count a saucy wink.

"And this is Tenchi Harker, a junior partner in the firm of Yosho, Harker and Renfield," the doctor finished.

"My father was a founding partner," Tenchi nodded. "Hello there, your grace. Welcome to England. I hope you enjoy your stay. Will we be seeing more of you?"

"Certainly, my dear boy." Although he appeared to be only thirty, Kagato seemed to have the cynical maturity that only age can bring. "Now that I have arrived, you can expect me to see me in…circulation," he grinned as if smiling at a private joke.

"Well," said Ryoko with exaggerated forwardness as she stood and extended her gloved hand. "I hope be seeing a lot of you, Count Kagato," she fixed him with a lusty look that she imagined the heroines in her 'bodice rippers' used to seduce dashing young rakes. "A _lot_ more of you. If you ever need someone to show you around London, I'm available…day or night."

"Oh really?" the count gave her a predatory smile. "'Day or night' eh? I will have to remember that, Miss Westenra."

"Please, call me Ryoko," Ryoko stole a glance back at Tenchi. Sure enough, Tenchi did not like the glances that promised a late-night assignation between herself and Kagato. He seemed to be struggling to get out of his chair, his hand pulling itself out of Ayeka's gloved fist. Her plan was working perfectly. Now for the _coup-de-grace_. "Oh yes, I can't wait until we meet again," she smiled as she inhaled seductively, blowing Kagato a kiss.

"Well Miss Westenra," the count nodded. "I guess that I will be seeing you…later." He bowed to the company before him. "Forgive me. I do not wish to interrupt you. Enjoy the show and live life to the fullest…while you can." With that ominous remark the disappeared behind the curtain to the hall.

"The lights have stopped flickering," Tenchi remarked gazing at the arrow-shaped light bulbs that resembled candles placed in the sconces on the wall.

"Yes," sniffed Ayeka. "Electrical lighting. The science is too new to be reliable. In a few years they'll have it all sorted out."

"He was creepy," Kiyone tapped her finger on rim of the balcony suspiciously. "He barged in here without even leaving a calling card."

"I'm sure he was just being friendly," said Ryoko, pretending to like him to rouse Tenchi's ire.

"He's not from around here," Tenchi shrugged. "I'm sure things are different in his country."

"Well when he drew back the curtain, he let in a draft," Kiyone complained. "Did any of you notice how cold it seemed to get when he was in here?"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," said Tenchi, who always attempted to think the best of everyone. "Come now, Kiyone, he's your new neighbor. You don't want to get off on the wrong foot. You're just upset because you're worried about Mihoshi."

Kiyone let out a deep breath in surrender. "You're right, Tenchi. I'm not myself. I'm sorry for being so grouchy."

"There's a lot of that going around," muttered Ryoko. After her shocking and scandalous flirting with Kagato, Tenchi was still able to defend him. When she tried to get Tenchi jealous, she underestimated his kind nature. Drat the dratted luck! Now Count Kagato thought she was a woman of loose morals. Hardly the right way to make a first impression with a member of the aristocracy.

That evening, after Ayeka, Sasami and Ryoko turned in, Ryoko heard a voice at her balcony. "Ryoko…Ryoko…" the seductive yet sinister voice murmured. "Awaken, my dear…"

"What?" the young woman was startled awake.

Floating outside the balcony as if standing in midair was Count Kagato. "You shall be flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood," he whispered as he drifted forward and passed through the glass doors to the balcony like a ghost. "You shall provide the blood for my starved and broken heart and you shall flow within my veins forevermore…"

"Hey!" Ryoko pulled her blankets over her nightshirt. "I don't know how they do things in your country but I'm not that kind of girl!"

"Oh, you aren't?" the count seemed to be quite amused at her distress. "Tell me my dear, what kind of girl _are_ you?"

"The kind who will kill you if you try anything," she growled as she leaped out of bed and pulled an oriental dagger from a drawer. "My father was in Shanghai and he taught me all about knife fighting in case I should have to defend my virtue. So back off!"

"Dear me," the count joked sarcastically. "I really appear to be in trouble now. You continue to surprise me, Miss Ryoko. You have an admirably strong will. Perhaps I should make you immortal instead of merely feeding on and disposing of you."

"You sick puppy!" shuddered Ryoko. "I'll die before I bear any children of yours!"

"On the contrary, Miss Ryoko," inexplicably, the count seemed to be approaching her without taking a step. "You will die and then you will become _one_ of my children. One of my brides."

"Back off!" she warned him. "No court in the realm would convict me, so back off! Hiyah!" she plunged the dagger into the area where his chest connected to his shoulder. "I-I don't believe it!"

To Ryoko's horror, Kagato was simply standing in front of her with a dagger sticking out his chest as if he didn't even feel it. With idle curiosity, he glanced down at the bladed weapon and pulled it out of his body. He examined the weapon, admiring its sharpness and fine craftsmanship and then looked up at Ryoko. "You have a killer instinct, Miss Ryoko, as well as a strong will. You have the potential to be my greatest creation. Allow me to welcome you into my family."

Ryoko could only open her mouth in silent horror, then she screamed, but no one heard. It was as if a spell was cast on all members of the house that no one would awaken to her cries.

_NEXT: Doctor von Washu at Your Service!_


	5. Doctor von Washu at Your Service!

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Five: Doctor von Washu at Your Service!_

The next day, the sun rose on the sleepy city of London. In Ayeka's fashionable townhouse, the lavender haired lady pulled the curtains to Ryoko's bedroom to let in the morning light. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Ayeka smiled. "You certainly have slept in, Ryoko. Sasami has breakfast ready and you still haven't…" Her words died as she gazed down at her friend.

Ryoko was lying in bed as white as a ghost staring up at the ceiling with a shocked expression on her face. Her lovely hair was wild and her pupils dilated. Her blankets and nightgown were disheveled and opened, exposing the cleave of her pale white bosom, whose movement was the only evidence that Ryoko was breathing, the only evidence that she was still alive. Otherwise she appeared to be sculpted from marble.

"Oh, my…Ryoko!" Ayeka gasped in horror. "Are you all right?" She crossed to Ryoko's side to button her nightshirt and close her blankets.

"Unh," Ryoko grunted weakly as she suddenly jerked into consciousness. "I… Ayeka, is that you?" She squinted in discomfort as the light from the morning sun streamed in from the windows. "I feel so drained… I had such strange dreams…"

Later that morning, Kiyone and Tenchi joined Ayeka and Sasami in the afflicted girl's room. Kiyone has kneeling by the side of the bed examining the wan girl's neck closely. Ayeka was thankful that Kiyone had a medical degree. The thought of having a man examine Ryoko in her nightgown made the heiress' skin crawl.

"Is she going to be all right, Doctor Kiyone?" Sasami asked shyly.

"Hmm, there's no sign of infection," Doctor Kiyone Seward uttered, as if she hadn't heard the orphan. "Do you have any idea where these marks came from?"

"No…" muttered Ryoko.

"Marks?" asked Ayeka as she looked down at the stricken Ryoko.

"Yes," nodded Kiyone. "You can see them right here. What looks like two tiny puncture marks. They are almost invisible, but the bruising around them really shows up in the morning light."

"Why yes…" Tenchi let his voice trail off. "Could they be insect bites? Or a spider?"

"Hard to say," Kiyone shook her head. "It doesn't seem like Ryoko's been poisoned, and yet…"

"…And yet…" Tenchi nodded curtly. He had a terrible suspicion but didn't want to say anything in front of the afflicted. "Do you remember being bitten, Ryoko?"

"No," Ryoko attempted to shake her head, but didn't have the strength to lift her head from her pillow, "but I had a strange dream…"

"Oh really?" Tenchi became alert. "What sort of dream?"

"I remember nothing," Ryoko stared at the ceiling and spoke in a monotone that didn't sound like her voice at all. Her eyes closed and she moaned pitifully.

"She's asleep," Kiyone rose to face Tenchi and Ayeka and lowered her voice. "I can't explain it. If this is a poison, it is like no poison that I have ever heard of. If it's a disease, I don't know how it could have affected her so quickly." She crossed her arms and started pacing back and forth at the foot of Ryoko's bed.

"Her father was a famous explorer," Tenchi looked down at the comatose Ryoko. "Could it be that a tribe whose lands were taken by the white man is seeking revenge?"

"Why Tenchi!" Ayeka put her hand to her mouth. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Ryoko's father was an explorer and come to think of it, you inherited your father's company, and currently you have no heirs," Tenchi looked her coldly in the eye. "It could be that _you_ were the intended target."

"Tenchi!" gasped Ayeka. "That's beastly!"

"I hope that I'm wrong," Tenchi nodded grimly, "that I'm just being paranoid. But if I'm not, if Ryoko really is the victim of foul play," he glanced back down at the unconscious girl. "I'm going to get some help. There's a private consultant who lives on Baker Street who can tell us whether this is all in my head or not. Anyway it beats sitting around here and doing nothing. I'll be back as soon as I can. Miss Ayeka, Sasami, Doctor Kiyone," he nodded to each of them and left the room.

"How awful!" gasped Sasami as she hugged Ayeka. "Do you really think that Ryoko is the victim of foul play?" No one in the room could say the word 'murder'.

"I don't know Sasami, I don't know," Ayeka shivered, putting her arms around the blue-haired orphan. "Kiyone, what should we do?"

"Tenchi is right about one thing, we need to get help," Kiyone stopped her pacing to face Ayeka and Sasami. "I'm going to send for Doctor K.T. von Washu."

"Doctor von Washu?" Ayeka repeated. "The metaphysician and theologian?"

"Also a medical doctor," Kiyone nodded. "Knows more about obscure diseases than anyone in the world. If she can't help us, no one can!"

Meanwhile, in the laboratory of Doctor von Washu, a short woman with brilliant green eyes paced back and forth in front of a table that appeared to hold a human body covered in a white sheet. Her red hair cascaded down her back in a like the feathers of a Native American chief's ceremonial headdress. She was wearing a white lab coat and men's trousers, but at least a woman's blouse covered her torso.

"How long does it take for Jenkins to bring back a brain, anyway?" sighed the little genius. Strangely, she didn't have a Dutch _or_ a British accent. "How long will it take for my dreams to come true? They said my grandfather was mad! They said that his experiments would never work! But I shall succeed where my grandfather failed! I shall have victory where Victor von Frankenstein suffered defeat! Then the world will have to acknowledge that I am the greatest genius of all time! Aha-ha-ha-ha!" she laughed insanely after her maniacal rant.

She stopped to look at her class of white-coated students and spoke in a calm, rational voice. "You'll notice that during my rant I had to work myself up to the climatic laugh. In addition I provided exposition to explain who I am and why I was playing in God's domain. Also, when laughing insanely, it is important to start at the diaphragm, in order to get a deep breath, like an opera singer all right?" She placed her hand at her waist and gradually raised it over her stomach. "I think that we should all practice our insane laughs right now, don't you? Ah-ha-ha-ha!"

Halfhearted fake chortles filled the chamber.

"That's pathetic people!" growled the little professor. "You all know that in order to get your degree in Mad Science, you're going to have to pass a course in maniacal laughter!" She glanced at a grandfather clock that was stowed in the corner of the room. "Well, look at the time! Class dismissed!"

Students started muttering to each other as they shuffled out the door. Some were still practicing their halfhearted chuckles.

The instructor stopped one of her students. "Ah, Jekyll," she said to the mild mannered young student before her. "Have you found any subjects for your experiment on separating man's moral and immoral personas yet?"

"Er, no, Doctor von Washu," Jekyll blushed nervously as he pulled on his collar. "I haven't."

"Well, your project is due at the end of the month," she scolded in a matter of fact tone. "They want results in the real world you know. I think that your project could really push the envelope when it comes to prison reform."

"Is it true that you're the great-granddaughter of Victor von Frankenstein?" Jekyll asked, attempting to change the subject. "I thought that his wife died on her wedding night in Mary Shelly's novel."

"Tish and pish!" von Washu waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "That information was fabricated to protect the family. At the time, he was afraid that no one would marry his little girl!" Her face became stern. "If you can't find a willing volunteer, I'll have no choice but to fail you Jekyll, and that would break my heart, 'cause you're my star pupil." With that she left the room.

"Damn," Jekyll muttered to himself. "At this rate, I'll have to test it on myself…"

A woman in a nurse's outfit met von Washu in the hall. "Excuse me, Doctor von Washu," the woman waved to get her attention. "You have been contacted by Doctor Seward of Bethlem Royal Hospital. She says it's urgent!"

"Finally!" von Washu thrust her fist in the air in triumph. "Perhaps it's a challenge worthy of my great intellect!" She slumped in feigned exhaustion. "It sure beats teaching a bunch of dimwitted morons the basics in Mad Science. I tell ya, as soon as you get your tenth PhD, everybody wants a piece of ya!"

_Next: The Game Is Afoot_


	6. The Game Is Afoot

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Six: The Game is Afoot_

The afternoon sun shone on the stately Murray townhouse in the West End of London. As Ryoko lay delirious in her bed, Kiyone rose and walked over to the door to the hall. She opened it to see the last person she expected.

"Hi Kiyone," Mihoshi smiled innocently.

"Ah!" Kiyone jumped a step back. "Mihoshi!" The teal haired doctor put a hand to her chest. "You scared me! How did you get out of the asylum?"

"What do you mean, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked with a sweetness that Kiyone found frightening. "You act like I'm not allowed to leave or something."

"Heh heh," Kiyone rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously. "Nooo, that would be silly. So what brings you over here?"

The blonde's voice transformed from childlike innocence to passionate melodrama. "I heard that Ryoko was sick!" she exclaimed as she brushed past Kiyone to rush to Ryoko's bedside. "I rushed right over here at once! To think that I was safe in a hospital while poor Ryoko—EEEK!"

Mihoshi found herself face to face with an enormous green eye. It winked at her twice and then disappeared as Doctor von Washu lowered her magnifying glass to assess the new arrival. "Hello," said Washu giggling mischievously. "I'm Doctor K.T. von Washu," the ingenious redhead extended her hand to the startled Mihoshi. "I was called in to help your friend. You must be Mihoshi."

"Why yes, I am…" Mihoshi seemed uncomfortable with the way von Washu was examining her. "Ooh!" the blonde gasped as redhead poked her in the groin with her forefinger.

"So this is your amnesia case, huh?" asked the short scientist, pushing at Mihoshi's bosom with her finger.

"That's right," Kiyone nodded. "She seems to have completely repressed all memory of her trip to Transylvania."

"Hmm, interesting," von Washu walked behind the startled blonde and poked at her hindquarters with a forefinger. "And she has regressed to a childlike state of innocence, huh?"

"Um… yes," nodded Kiyone, who was uncomfortable with the way Washu was speaking as if Mihoshi wasn't in the room. "That's right."

Downstairs, the doorbell rang and Ayeka called out. "Don't bother going to answer it, Sasami. I'll get the door."

When the heiress opened the door, a defeated Tenchi greeted her. "Good afternoon, Miss Ayeka."

"Tenchi! Come in!" Ayeka stepped aside to let him enter. "Any news? Did you find the investigator you were looking for?"

"No luck there, I'm afraid," Tenchi shook his head. "His lodgings at Baker Street were abandoned. When I tracked down Doctor Watson, his old roommate, he told me that Sherlock Holmes died last May."

"Sherlock Holmes?" gasped Ayeka. "The detective? He died? There was no mention of it in the papers!"

"Well it happened on the continent. Apparently Mister Holmes and a man named Professor Moriarty went over the side of a cliff at Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. There were no witnesses and no bodies were recovered, so the newspapers hushed it up. Doctor Watson hopes that Mister Holmes will turn up someday, but after five months he's beginning to lose hope."

Ayeka shook her head. "How… how awful! I've been thinking about what you said and I think it has the ring of truth. I'm afraid someone _is_ out to get Ryoko and we need to be sure! Oh if only some incredible genius would visit this house now!" She put her arms around the young man and buried her face in his chest.

They heard a voice clearing her throat. "Ahem," von Washu called out. "Excuse me. I've made an important discovery."

"Why hello there," Tenchi smiled as he sauntered over to the mad doctor. "Aren't you a cute little thing? Are you one of Sasami's little friends?"

"What?" Washu was totally taken aback.

"I've got an idea," Tenchi stuck his hands in his pocket and then pulled them out dramatically as he made two fists. "I have a shiny sixpence for the clever little girl who can guess which hand it's in." He moved his fists in front of von Washu's face as if he was playing with two puppets.

"Oh, yeah," smiled Washu. "So you think I'm a child, huh?"

"Y-you, you _aren't_?" said a horrified Tenchi. "B-begging your pardon, miss, but you were standing in the shadows there and I couldn't see you clearly…"

"Don't apologize," Washu had a maniacal grin on her face. "At my age, it's a complement when someone thinks that I look younger." Her voice became high-pitched like a child's. "So I'm 'a cute little thing,' eh? I'll forgive you, if you call me… Little Washu!"

Both Ayeka and Tenchi fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Washu's voice assumed a nagging quality that Tenchi associated with older women. "Anyway, c'mon, you guys! I got something to show you! Something you won't believe!"

In moments, the inhabitants of the house were back in Ryoko's room. Doctor von Washu was peering at the stricken girl's neck. "Observe closely," breathed Washu. "Three tiny marks on her throat."

"Three?" asked a confused Kiyone.

Washu breathed on her magnifying glass and rubbed it against her sleeve. "Two," she amended as she again peered through her magnifying glass.

"Do you know what did this?" Ayeka asked.

"Oh, yes," Washu nodded. "There can be no mistaking it. What I'm about to tell you will shatter your beliefs in medicine and science. It will call into question your faith in the scientific method and the rational world. If you value your sanity, you should leave the room before I reveal what I'm about to tell you! Well, so long!" She walked past the confused group and headed for the door.

"What?" gasped Mihoshi.

Sasami looked up at Tenchi. "Wasn't she about to tell us something?"

"Doctor von Washu, what did you discover?" Tenchi asked her. "Aren't you going to tell us what you found out?"

"No!" cried an angry von Washu. "Not unless you call me…" she paused dramatically and then assumed an ingenious smile. "Little Washu!"

"But Doctor Washu…" Tenchi began.

"No! 'Little'!" insisted the demented scientist. "Call me 'Little Washu' or I won't help you!"

Ayeka whispered into Kiyone's ear. "How can he call her 'Little Washu' when she's almost twice his age?"

"Okay… _Little Washu_," Tenchi decided to play along. "What have you discovered?"

A cloud obscured the light entering through the window and cast von Washu into shadow. "In order to comprehend what evil has afflicted her, we must leave the realm of the natural and enter the world of the supernatural." Once again, von Washu's voice became as sinisterly theatrical as a circus ringmaster contemplating murder. "Ryoko has been attacked by a creature that rises from its grave in order to feast upon the blood of the living. This creature has gone by many names over the ages, but in this century it is known as… vampire!"

The rest of the crowd gasped in astonishment and for a moment could only utter strangled silence.

It was Tenchi who found his voice first. "Vampire?"

Kiyone blinked as if a spell had been broken. "Vampire? Doctor von Washu, what are you saying?"

Washu shrugged. "I'm saying, 'vampire'. Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"Please, Doctor," Tenchi scoffed. "This is nineteenth century England. We don't believe in vampires anymore."

"Tenchi is right," Kiyone nodded. "You really can't expect us to believe that. Only silly superstitious old women who spend all day reading penny dreadfuls would believe such a story…"

"A vampire!" squeaked Ayeka. "Of course! It makes so much sense! How come I didn't see it?"

"Why it's just like in _Varney the Vampire_!" Mihoshi exclaimed. "I've read about them, but I never thought I'd see one! It's incredible!

"A vampire!" Sasami put her palms on her cheeks. "Oh no! What can we do?"

Sweat drops appeared on the foreheads of Tenchi and Kiyone.

"But Doctor von Washu," Kiyone weakly insisted, "Modern science doesn't recognize the existence of such a fantastic creature."

"That's because nearly all vampires are unique," Washu retorted. "Depending on the circumstances of their curse, each vampire may exhibit different strengths and weaknesses."

"Um, that's not what I…" Kiyone mumbled, but Washu just spoke over her.

"Each curse is symbolic and unique to each vampire," Washu insisted. "For example, many elder vampires acquired their curse during the middle ages. During that time, Europe was dominated by Christianity and was a rural, agricultural society."

"They were middle aged?" Sasami asked.

"Ahem," Washu cleared her throat theatrically. "As a result, many vampires who were afflicted with the curse during Europe's _medieval period_," she shot Sasami a dirty look, "can be driven away with symbols of the Christian faith, such as a crucifix or holy water. During the dark ages, before the advent of modern lighting, the day lasted from sunup to sundown. As a result, most vampires created during that period find exposure to sunlight fatal, and _that_ prevents them from participating in normal society."

"Participating in normal society?" Ayeka repeated.

"Oh yes," Washu nodded. "Central to any curse is isolation and alienation from your own society. Being cast out, as it were. Doomed to suffer forever alone until death finally releases you from your torment, y'know, that sort of thing."

"But if all vampires exhibit different symptoms, how do you know that you're dealing with one?" Kiyone taunted. "If they are all different, how can you tell?"

"Because they can be identified by their similarities. Their metabolic processes have been altered so that during their dormant periods, they are indistinguishable from a well-preserved corpse."

"Dormant periods?" Despite himself, Tenchi was growing interested in this fantastic conversation. "You mean they sleep? Do they hibernate like bears?"

"That's right," said Washu. "Almost every vampire must rest in a safe location every twenty-four hours. My guess is that it takes a lot of energy to animate an undead corpse, not to mention fuel their strange powers."

"Powers?" asked Mihoshi. "What powers?"

Washu shrugged. "Different vampires exhibit different powers, like flight or shapeshifting. Enhanced strength is a common one. Apparently the necrological forces that preserve and animate their bodies also strengthens them somehow."

"Their bodies?" Asked a skeptical Tenchi. "Are these creatures alive or dead? They can't be both."

"Oh yes, they can," Washu retorted. "They are both alive and dead. They are _un_-dead. It seems that instead of a human soul, the corpse is inhabited by a demon from hell that makes use of the deceased's physical form and memories. But don't be fooled. A vampire is no longer human, and you can't treat them as such."

"I don't believe this," Tenchi snorted in disgust. "Ayeka get rid of this quack and get Ryoko some real help before she dies of whatever poison is affecting her."

"Quack!" growled Washu as she seized a vase and forcefully put it on Tenchi's head. "How dare you! I have degrees in Medicine, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Theology, Medieval Metaphysics, Philosophy, History, Physics, and Gynecology!"

"Gynecology?" repeated Kiyone. "I didn't realize that you had your hand in _that _too."

"Erm, uh," Tenchi was still trying to figure out how a woman that was only four feet tall had managed to balance a vase on his head.

Washu still continued her indignant rant. "I have founded the doctrine of Mad Science, mister, so don't call me a quack until you have all the facts! I'll forgive you this time because you're cute, but next time I'll run an experiment on you! Good day, young man!" The little scientist picked up her hat and exited the room.

"But Doctor..." Kiyone called out.

"I said 'good day'!" repeated Washu as she descended the stairs.

Ayeka, Mihoshi and Sasami looked at each other and then dashed out the door after her. They caught up with Washu at the front door.

Ayeka put her back to the front door and spread her arms and legs to block the redhead's egress. "Please don't go, Doctor von Washu!" she cried. "I believe in you!"

Mihoshi knelt to the ground and wrapped her arms around the scientist's legs. "Yes! Please don't go!" she sobbed. "Don't leave us to the mercy of that creature! What shall we do?"

Sasami stood in front of Washu and put her hands together in a pleading gesture. "You've got help us Doctor von Washu," Sasami begged. "You just can't let Ryoko die. It's not her fault that Tenchi and Kiyone don't believe you."

"Very well," Washu responded in a stern voice. "I'll help you on one condition."

"Oh yes!" exclaimed Ayeka. "What is it? Name your price!"

"Yes, we'll do anything!" Sasami nodded.

Washu clasped her hands together, looked up at the ceiling, smiled and rocked on her heels. "Will you call me… '_Little_ Washu'?"

Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Sasami face faulted.

_Next: Kagato Strikes!_


	7. Count Kagato Strikes!

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Seven: Count Kagato Strikes!_

As a solicitor, Tenchi Harker usually attended to the day-to-day business of wealthy clients who had neither the time nor the inclination to manage their own affairs. As a wealthy heiress with no background in finance, Ayeka depended on Tenchi to make her financial decisions. So naturally, when Tenchi discovered an irregularity in her spending habits he rushed right over to Ayeka's townhouse.

"Oh Tenchi," smiled Ayeka as she answered the door. "Come right in!"

"Miss Ayeka," he said sternly as if scolding a disobedient child. "I have an invoice in my valise for one thousand pounds of garlic buds! What possible use could you have for…" His voice died away as he surveyed Ayeka's front parlor. Strings of garlic were hanging from the walls and ceiling, obstructing Tenchi's view. "What _is _all this?" he exclaimed.

"Garlic," Ayeka responded. "Its purifying properties are supposed to ward away vampires. Although von Washu doesn't put much stock in it, there are so many books supporting garlic as a vampire deterrent that we can't take any chances. Von Washu says… what did she say, Sasami?"

"She said that garlic was probably an allergen to a specific strain of vampires rather than a toxin to the species," Sasami quoted proudly. The adolescent maid was taking small painted statues out of a box.

"And what are these?" Tenchi held up a statuette to examine it. It was a figure of a blue-haired woman dressed in flowing robes.

"Statues of the saints," Sasami answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"But, Ayeka, you aren't catholic!" Tenchi turned to the heiress.

"No, but Sasami is," Ayeka retorted. "She was a big help when shopping for the statues. I know that I've always subscribed to the Anglican faith, but… when the supernatural comes a callin', who ya gonna call?"

"I don't believe this!" Tenchi shook his head and attempted to maneuver around the hanging garlic.

"Well think about it, Tenchi," Ayeka insisted. "The Catholic Church has been in business since the fourth century. Exorcisms, blessings, consecrations, the Catholic Church has been defending us from the undead since the beginning!"

"But that's all superstition!" Tenchi insisted.

Ayeka would not be deterred. "So are vampires, but one is trying to destroy Ryoko, and if we aren't careful, we'll be next!"

"This is my favorite saint," Sasami held up a statue of a blue-haired woman with pink eyes dressed in extravagant robes. "Saint Sara of Wales, better known as Saint Tsunami, the patron saint of the orphan children of sailors lost at sea!" Sasami held the statuette lovingly. "She's my patron saint, I used to pretend when I was little that she was my mother because we have the same color eyes. Now our hair is the same color too, pretty neat, huh?"

"Um, yeah, Sasami," Tenchi stammered. "Pretty neat." It was no use trying to reason with them. He could only hope that von Washu was simply delusional and not scheming to cheat Ayeka out of her money. "Miss Ayeka, what does Kiyone think of all this?"

"Doctor Kiyone thinks that letting Mihoshi stay here will give her something to do and keep her out of the madhouse for a while," Ayeka responded. "She really thinks that even if Mihoshi never completely recovers, that she would make a good domestic."

"Mihoshi is staying here too?" Tenchi gasped in astonishment.

"That's right," Ayeka nodded, "and she's still a solicitor on paper. Who do you think helped me authorize all these purchases?"

Sasami looked on in concern as Tenchi put his hand over his eyes and grimaced as if he had a really bad headache.

Meanwhile, up in Ryoko's room, Mihoshi was vigilant to Ryoko's needs.

"Thanks for everything, Mihoshi," Ryoko gasped. "You sure are an excellent caregiver."

"Well, you don't spend all that time at a hospital without picking up a few pointers," the blonde smiled proudly from the chair that she pulled up next to the bed.

Ryoko smiled back. For a moment it was as if the Mihoshi Renfield she grew up admiring was there, rather than the shattered shell of a woman who had returned from Transylvania. Then Mihoshi once again became distracted. Her attention seemed to be focused on a small moving invisible object that Ryoko was too weary to see. Suddenly a quiet buzzing sound could be heard briefly before lapsing back into imperceptibility. A fly or some similar insect must have been buzzing over her bed.

"Don't worry, Ryoko," Mihoshi's face became completely empty, as if the girl was going into a trance. "I'll get that fly for you!"

"Just…be careful, Mihoshi," Ryoko wheezed as the bewildered blonde rose from her chair and started making quick snatching moments at the air above the bedridden beauty.

"Don't run away," Mihoshi drooled as her eyes followed the insect. "I won't hurt you! All I want is your LIFE!" Mihoshi lunged for the fly, falling on top of poor Ryoko and knocking the wind out of her. She straddled Ryoko's body as she snatched and grabbed at her elusive prey, completely ignoring the screams that the weakened woman emitted. A mad, unnerving cackle welled up in Mihoshi's throat as she captured the bug in the folds of the bed's curtains. Ryoko fainted as she saw the bronze-skinned blonde pop the fly in her mouth with one deft motion. "Mm-mm," sighed Mihoshi contentedly while she was chewing her gristly repast. "Oh my," she said looking down at the unconscious Ryoko. "Looks like somebody needs their sleep. Goodnight, Ryoko," she said as she bent over to give her a little kiss on the cheek. "Get well soon."

Evening fell on the Murray household and Ayeka called the members of the house to action. The purple-haired heiress was decked out in safari clothing, completely in khaki, from her jacket to her skirt. A pith helmet was worn over her lavender tresses. At her waist was a belt complete with holster and pistol. In her hands she brandished a riding crop.

"All right everyone, the sun is disappearing on the horizon," she announced to Mihoshi and Sasami. Get ready for battle stations! Let's check our ammunition. Bible?"

"Here," Sasami and Mihoshi chorused as they brandished their King James editions.

"Picture of a saint?"

"Here," Sasami and Mihoshi held up a painting depicting Saint Tsunami with a golden halo behind her.

"Neck protection?"

"Here," Mihoshi and Sasami answered in unison as they removed their broaches to undo the high Victorian collars their blouses had. Underneath they wore thick leather collars.

"Excellent," Ayeka nodded in satisfaction. "At least one of us will be guarding Ryoko all night. Mihoshi, you take the first watch. Sasami, help me assemble this crossbow that I sent away for. It's harder to do than it looks."

Mihoshi cocked a shotgun and then turned to the young heiress. "How long does my shift last, Miss Ayeka?"

"Until twelve hundred hours," Ayeka nodded curtly. "Then go to my room and awaken me. I'll guard her until dawn."

"Isn't twelve hundred hours, twelve noon?" Sasami asked.

"Er," Ayeka's eyes bulged out and a drop of sweat appeared on at her temple. "Um, yes… well I'll relieve you at midnight, Miss Mihoshi. Until then, carry on!"

"Right!" Mihoshi did a snappy salute and then marched up the steps to Ryoko's room.

As the night dragged on, the moon rose, illuminating the exterior of Ayeka's townhouse. Neighbors commented on the barbwire that crawled up from the ground to the roof like vines of ivy, and mentioned that prominent windows were boarded up and holes were cut out so that cannons and firing pieces from the century's previous wars could be extended out to stand sentinel over the city.

Then a swirling fog covered the moon casting the neighborhood into darkness. Such weather was not considered unusual in London, but the sinister figure obscured by the sudden mist was.

Count Kagato was standing in midair, as if looking down at the heiress' home from atop a tower, even thought there was no visible means of support. He smiled sardonically and muttered, "So, the house is filled with superstitious women who are childish enough to believe in vampires. Even though I have bigger fish to fry I can't resist showing them that their puny wills are no match for my intellect…"

In Ayeka's kitchen, Mihoshi was fixing herself a cup of tea. "Oh my," she yawned. "I'm so sleepy. It's just an hour until Ayeka relieves me. I just have to stay awake until then."

Just to be sure she opened the doors of the other residents to check on them. Ayeka was in her room, asleep in bed, still wearing her pith helmet and clutching a gold crucifix on her chest as if she the saint in the picture displayed on her wall. "Not on my watch…not on my watch…" the darling debutante muttered in her sleep like a mantra.

Sasami was simply darling in her room. After Ayeka's mother died, the heiress let Sasami sleep in her old room rather than be relegated to cramped and Spartan servant's quarters. Above her bed, the painting of Saint Tsunami smiled beatifically down on the dozing child. Both a kitten and a baby rabbit were sleeping in the bed with the young housemaid. They looked like stuffed animals next to the child. Mihoshi wished that the lighting was good enough for a camera to be placed in the doorway to photograph the touching scene.

As the blue-eyed blonde made her way back to Ryoko's room she heard a voice in the darkness, a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Miss Renfield… Renfield my slave," spoke the seductive voice of Count Kagato. Mihoshi seemed to see a man in a cape standing in midair over the fortified townhouse. "Listen to my voice and heed it. You are getting sleepy…"

Mihoshi collapsed to the floor and started to snore.

"Wake up, Mihoshi, I'm not done talking to you," Kagato's voice implored without missing a beat.

Mihoshi snorted and turned over, knocking the spilled teacup aside.

"Wake up you imbecile, your work is not finished!" the vampire's voice commanded rather testily.

"Wha-what?" Mihoshi groggily rose from the floor and looked around. "Who's there?"

"Mihoshi, it is I, your master," Kagato's soothing voice informed her. "You are in my power. You are under my spell."

Mihoshi's blue eyes grew wide and glassy. "Yes, master," she droned dully.

"You will go to Miss Ryoko's room and remove the garlic and holy items…" Kagato gently commanded.

"I will go to Miss Ryoko's room and remove the garlic and holy items…" Mihoshi repeated.

"…and you will remember… nothing," Kagato finished.

"…and I will remember… nothing," Mihoshi stated. The girl jerked suddenly and then looked around as if she didn't know where she was. "How did I get here?" She asked herself. "Oh wow, I must really be sleepy. Well, there's less than an hour to go!" She sat down and picked up a copy of the _Strand_ magazine.

"Mihoshi," said Kagato's disembodied voice. "Why aren't you obeying me? Didn't you hear me command you to remove the protections?"

"Lord Kagato?" Mihoshi smiled as she rose from her chair. "Is that you? Where are you? I was afraid you died on our trip back to England but it looks like that you made it too! I'm so glad! Where are you hiding? You know Ryoko is very sick and we think that it's a vampire…"

"Miss Renfield," Kagato cut her off. "I don't care. Remove the garlic and holy items so I can enter her room."

"I don't really think that I should, Master," Mihoshi crossed her arms and scowled. "I mean, if there really _are_ vampires out to get her then these are her last line of defense, do you know what I mean? I mean, I know all this stuff is in the way, but we'll clear it out come daytime…"

"Let's try something else," Kagato's voice interrupted her. "Miss Renfield, you are getting sleepy."

Mihoshi stretched, yawned and sat down in her chair. In less than two seconds, she was asleep.

"Time to try a different approach," Kagato murmured. "Ryoko… Ryoko… hear my voice."

Ryoko's eyes opened and she stared at the ceiling helplessly. "Yes, Master," she murmured.

"Come outside, Miss Ryoko," the voice implored. "Come outside and share yourself with me… You shall be flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood. You shall be my most magnificent creation."

"Yes, Master," Ryoko replied as she slipped out of bed and gingerly made her way to the door. "I hear and obey." Silent as a ghost, Ryoko descended the stairs, walked to the front parlor, and opened the door. With wide staring eyes she walked out into the cold night and into Kagato's arms.

It was fifteen minutes after midnight when Mihoshi was awoken to someone shaking her roughly. "Mihoshi!" Ayeka's voice was a frantic screech. "Where's Ryoko! What happened to her?"

"Is breakfast ready yet, Kiyone?" said a drooling and delirious Mihoshi.

"Guh! You're useless!" Ayeka flung the bewildered blond back into the chair. "Sasami!" the heiress cried at the top of her lungs.

"What is it, Ayeka?" Sasami appeared in her nightcap and gown carrying a lit candle on a tiny tray.

"Ryoko is missing!" exclaimed Ayeka. "We've got to find her before it's too late!"

"Oh no!" Sasami gasped. "Not Miss Ryoko!"

"Quick! Quick!" Ayeka picked up Mihoshi's discarded shotgun. "We've got to search the house! Ryoko could be lying about hurt somewhere! Then we've got to call Kiyone and Tenchi!"

Ayeka started at the bottom of the stairs first. She was terrified at the thought of a weakened Ryoko stumbling in her delirium and falling to her doom. Sasami screamed and pointed to the front door that was hanging wide open. Ryoko had left the protection of the house!

The two girls dashed outside to find Ryoko lying on her back, her luxurious onyx hair spread like a black halo behind her. Her nightgown was open to reveal her wounded neck and the cleaving of her alabaster bosom. To their horror, her breasts did not rise and fall in a regular rhythm. On the contrary they were perfectly still, as if the young woman had been carved from the whitest marble.

Sasami turned and dashed back into the house to escape the scene of Ryoko's demise. She ascended the stairs with a speed that only the young can maintain and fled to her room to jump on her bed and scare her pets away. "Oh Saint Tsunami," the little girl knelt on her knees and clasped her hands as she gazed up at the saint's picture with tear glazed eyes. "Please watch over Ryoko's soul! Don't let her soul be replaced by a demon! Please bring our Ryoko back to us!" She collapsed on the bed and violently sobbed and thus she didn't notice the fog part to allow the light of the moon to shine in the window and illuminate the painting of Tsunami. At the same time a beam of moonlight shone on Ryoko, reflecting off her white skin and nightclothes, causing her to shine in the cool crisp night.

_Next: Tragedy Strikes Ayeka's House!_


	8. Tragedy Strikes Ayeka's House!

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way. _

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker _

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima _

_Chapter Eight: Tragedy Strikes Ayeka's House!_

"I'm sorry for your loss, Lady Ayeka," Doctor von Washu whispered as the pallbearers strode past carrying the white casket.

"Yes," sniffed the purple-haired mourner. "Who would have guessed that Ryoko would leave the protection of the house? We were so concerned about someone getting in, we never considered the possibility of someone getting out."

"I still wish that the family would have let me perform an autopsy," von Washu muttered. "We are missing an unparalleled scientific opportunity."

"Oh, stop it, you ghoul," Ayeka whispered tersely. "Please let her rest in peace won't you? Let it stop, for Ryoko if nobody else. For her, it's over."

"No," von Washu shook her head. "It's only beginning."

Ryoko's funeral was open casket, and Tenchi had to admit that Sleeping Beauty wouldn't have looked lovelier. It was a sunny autumn day when they laid her to rest, a day that suggested that even in death, beauty and meaning could be found. They laid her in the family crypt next to her ancestors and wished Ryoko would find peace reunited with those who had gone before her.

Nevertheless, a strange thing happened exactly eleven hours and forty minutes after the Westenra crypt was sealed. Lightning flashed and illuminated the front gate of the cemetery. Two massive cylinders of wood flanked each side of the iron barred gate like towers at the gatehouse of a castle.

The cylinder on the left had a strange blue glyph printed across the side facing the street. Above this symbol was a recessed circle where a circular pane of opaque azure glass could be seen. The cylinder on the right was similar, although the glyph was different, and was a crimson hue. The four-inch diameter glass pane above the kanji-style glyph was also red.

"Azaka?" the scarlet disk of the pillar on the right lit up in synchrony with the words.

"Yes, Kamidake?" the blue disk of the log on the left illuminated at the same time the deeper voice spoke.

"Why are we here again?" Kamidake asked his counterpart in a high-pitched voice.

"I don't know," Azaka admitted in his bass like rumble, "but there's no sense in worrying about it. We should just be thankful that we're in this story at all."

"I suppose you're right," Kamidake ruefully conceded. "Still, I wish that the weather was better."

"Yes," Azaka agreed. "It looks like it might rain."

"Azaka?" the column on the right asked. "Do you hear something?"

"It sounds like stone grinding on stone," his deep-voiced companion replied. "As if someone was opening one of the vaults."

"It sounds as if it's coming from the Westenra family crypt," the high-pitched Kamidake commented.

"Yes," Azaka agreed. "I can hear the lock being broken and the iron gate being opened."

"It sounds as if someone is breaking into the vault," Kamidake uttered nervously.

"I agree," Azaka replied. "Yet why do I hear footsteps going _away_ from the Westenra crypt instead of _towards_ it?"

"Why you're right!" exclaimed Kamidake. "There _are_ footsteps are coming this way!"

Large sweat drops appeared on surfaces of the two wooden pillars.

A howling wind blew ferociously as the iron-wrought gate swung open between the two Jurain guardians. As lightning flashed, a feminine, shadowy figure strode out the open gate, hissed like a cat and leaped into the air. The mysterious figure flew into the night sky as silent as an owl stalking its prey.

As quickly as the wind picked up it abated. The clouds cleared up and soon the moon shone down on the wooden sentinels at the entrance to the cemetery.

"Azaka?" asked the crimson-eyed guardian. "Was that Ryoko that went by just now?"

"Why I believe it was," Azaka boomed. "Wasn't she supposed to have black hair in this story?"

"It looked like its regular cyan-white to me," Kamidake commented.

"Why yes," Azaka rumbled. "It did, didn't it?

"I wonder what she was doing in the cemetery," Kamidake murmured.

"She must have lost something at the funeral today," Azaka guessed, "and she came back here to look for it. Funny, we didn't see her go in. She must have flown in over the back wall."

There was a pause in the conversation before Kamidake again broke the silence.

"Azaka?"

"Yes, Kamidake?"

"Wasn't it _Ryoko_'s funeral that was held earlier today?"

The two guardians fell quiet as giant sweat drops rolled down their wooden surfaces.

After an awkward silence, Kamidake spoke weakly.

"Well it looks like it's going to be an interesting day tomorrow."

"Yes," rumbled his deep voiced companion. "It certainly does."

It was after midnight when a lithe, angular figure phased through the wall and entered Sasami's room. The little girl was asleep in her bed, her rosary clutched in her tiny hand. Her ponytails were bunched into two little nightcaps that hid the buns on her head. As a sinister shadow crouched over the helpless blue-haired girl, Sasami stirred in her sleep and started mumbling.

"T-take care of Ryoko. P-protect Ryoko. Keep Ryoko safe…"

A tear formed in the golden eye of the intruder and a quiet whine escaped her lips. "Ohhh, I'm so hungry…but I can't…"

A noise caused the stalker to jerk her head to the corner of the room. A dark kitten wearing a collar with a little bell was pawing through the bars of a wire cage at a brown baby rabbit.

Feminine lips parted to reveal sparkling white teeth, teeth that included unnaturally long and sharp canines. "Heh-heh-heh…"

The next morning a horrified cry was heard from Sasami's room.

"Sasami!" Ayeka, clad in a flowing, pink and purple robe-like gown dashed into the young girl's bedchamber.

"Ayeka!" Sasami hugged Ayeka and buried her face in the heiress' chest. "They're dead!" Sasami cried. "Something killed my kitty and my bunny! What could have done this?"

Ayeka felt ill as she stared into the corner of Sasami's room that held the rabbit cage. The two animals were lying still as if they were two stuffed animals. "I… I don't know Sasami… I…" She was interrupted when she heard a knock at her door.

"Yes?" Ayeka asked as she opened the door to see two men outside. "May I help you?"

"Inspector Yosho of Scotland yard," the elder one said. "May I come in Miss Ayeka?"

"Why yes, of course," the heiress nodded numbly. Her eyes went from one man to the other. Inspector Yosho's mustache was the same iron gray hue as his hair that was tied back into a long ponytail. The younger man wore eyeglasses just as the older man did, but his black hair was short. While the old man had a bushy mustache, the hair on the younger man's upper lip was pencil thin.

"Nobby, would you be so good as to take notes while I interview the young lady?" Inspector Yosho gestured to his partner.

"Nobby?" the broad shouldered man looked around. "Who's he?"

"Well Nobuyuki doesn't sound very British," Yosho shrugged.

"Oh 'Nobby'. Right!" Nobuyuki rubbed the back of his neck and laughed self-consciously.

"Miss Ayeka," Inspector Yosho said seriously. "Perhaps you might want to sit down."

"Of course," the heiress nodded. "Sasami!" she called, "would you get these gentlemen—oh, that's right," she put her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, but our maid isn't feeling well right now, I'll fix you your tea myself."

"Why thank you, Miss," Yosho removed his derby. "I assure you that's not necessary."

"Oh that's alright," Ayeka assured him as she strode to the kitchen. "I insist. If I don't do something, I'll go crazy." She stopped and stroked her chin. "Crazy." Suddenly she shouted up the stairs. "Mihoshi! Are you awake? Sasami isn't feeling well, could you fill in for her?"

"Is something wrong?" Inspector Yosho couldn't help but notice the sound of a crying girl coming from upstairs.

"M-my young housemaid has a pet cat and a rabbit," Ayeka explained. "Last night they both died under mysterious circumstances."

"Did they?" With the morning light reflecting off the inspector's spectacles it was impossible to judge his reaction. "Would you like one of us to take a look?"

"Oh no," Ayeka said hurriedly. "It must have been a rat or some other creature that killed them."

"Nonetheless, it might reassure the girl if she sees the law react quickly to it," the old man pointed out.

"That's brilliant!" Ayeka smiled with relief. "Please, go ahead and comfort her. She's been in such as state after Ryoko died!"

"I'll do it," Nobuyuki smiled. "I'm great with children."

Yosho nodded to his counterpart, then Nobuyuki walked towards the stairs.

"Good morning, Ayeka!" came a bright and cheerful voice from the upper floor. "I didn't know we had guests!" Mihoshi, who was clad in a pink robe-like gown and fuzzy slippers descended the stairs to greet the two policemen. "Hmm, you two look familiar." She strode over to Inspector Yosho while Nobuyuki watched from the bottom of the stairs. "Don't you work at a lighthouse ten miles from Portsmouth?"

Yosho started with embarrassment. "Uh… no. My _brother_ works as a lighthouse keeper. Maybe that's who you are mistaking me for. I'm told there's a resemblance."

"Well, I have to admit, you look just like him!" Mihoshi asked cheerily. "Are you two twins?"

"No, but lots of people ask us that," the elderly inspector blushed. "As you can see, I look different from him. My hair is parted on the side while his is parted in the middle. His hair is slate gray, while mine is iron gray. Our age spots are in different places…"

"Oh, yeah," Mihoshi nodded. "I can see the difference now."

Nobuyuki spoke up from his post at the banister. "I was visiting him that evening when we rescued you. How are you feeling Miss Mihoshi?"

"Oh, much better, thank you!" Mihoshi assured him. The blonde frowned as she heard a sobbing from the upper story. "What's wrong with Sasami?"

"Her little pets are dead," Ayeka replied.

Mihoshi was horrified, and then angry. "What? Them too? This can't go on! First Ryoko is taken from us and now two innocent house pets! I'm going to get to the bottom of this or my name isn't Mihoshi Renfield!" She stormed up the stairs followed by Nobuyuki.

"I'm sorry that this had to happen, so quickly after the other tragedy," the inspector patted her hand in a fatherly fashion.

"_What_ has happened?" Ayeka asked suspiciously. "You didn't even know about the animals. What did you come here to tell me? No one else is hurt, are they?"

"Well, it isn't that but…"

"Exactly what happened, Inspector Yosho?"

"Ryoko Westenra's crypt has been broken into. The body is gone."

"WHAT?"

Upstairs, Nobuyuki was trying to calm the distraught Sasami who hugging him while she cried. "There, there," he consoled her, "I had a pet dog once that got run over by a carriage. I know how you feel."

"Hmm," Mihoshi was kneeling down and examining the deceased animals. "They're dead all right." She rose to her feet and assumed a determined, heroic pose. "This is a murder most foul! Both of these animals have been drained of their blood just as Ryoko was! We've got to bag these carcasses and get them to Doctor von Washu! She'll be able to perform a full forensic examination on them and determine what happened!"

"H-how do you know that they've been drained of blood?" Nobuyuki asked.

"I tested them," the blue-eyed blonde responded as she picked cat and rabbit hair out of her teeth.

"I-I don't feel very well," Nobuyuki turned a leafy shade of green and staggered to the door. "Note to self, put the blonde on the suspect list…"

"Doctor von Washu!" Sasami jumped into the air and ran over to Mihoshi. "Do you think she can help my bunny and my kitty? Huh? Do you?"

"I don't know," Mihoshi put her hand to her chin. "Let's go to the University and ask her! It couldn't hurt to ask!"

At the library at London University, the most prestigious scientific center in the country, Doctor von Washu was gathering books on the occult.

"Let's see," the four-foot redhead muttered as she went over the eldritch tomes of forbidden arcane she had collected. "_Transylvanian Folklore_, _The Theory and the Theology of the Evil Undead_,_ Monsters and Their Kynde_,_ Vampires of Prague…_"

"Doctor von Washu!" Mihoshi's voice was greeted by lots of 'Sh's' from various patrons of the library. "Whoops! My bad!" Even at a lower volume, the tall blue-eyed blonde's voice traveled clearly through the building.

Washu turned to see Mihoshi Renfield and Sasami Morris making a beeline to her table nestled in the Occult section. Sasami was still dressed in her maid's uniform. Mihoshi was a in a white blouse, pink jacket and matching walking skirt. Instead of a parasol, she clutched a shabby Gladstone bag that seemed to be dripping water.

"Ah…Mihoshi and Sasami," Washu was mildly amused by the juxtaposition of the two girl's respective heights. "What brings you to the London University Library? Doing some research are we?"

"Doctor von Washu!" Sasami put her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Can you help us? My kitty and bunny are sick!" Even now, she couldn't admit they were dead.

Mihoshi could. "Last night, there was murder most foul at the Murray estate!" the bronze-skinned blonde announced dramatically. "It is my duty as the family solicitor to get to the bottom of this!"

"I thought Tenchi was the family solicitor," Washu commented with wry amusement, and then her eyes bulged out as her voice became shrill. "Wait a minute! 'Murder most foul'? Again? Is Ayeka all right?"

"Ayeka is fine," Sasami reassured her.

Mihoshi handed the bag to Washu as if presenting the chief of police with the murder weapon. "No, this time the victims were Sasami's household pets! You can see for yourself that there's not a drop of blood in them!"

Washu peered into the bag with ill-disguised distaste. "Oh… roadkill. How nice. And just what do you expect me to do with this?"

"Check the cadavers for clues," Mihoshi puffed out her chest as if she was on stage.

"Fix them!" Sasami pleaded. "Please, von Washu, don't let them be dead! You've got to save my kitty and my bunny!"

"Let me get this straight," Amusement had fled Washu's voice and was replaced by irritation. "You want me to resurrect two animals while there is a vampire loose in London, the capital of the most powerful empire in the world, is that it?"

"Oh pleeeeez?" Sasami stared at the scientist with big pink glistening eyes.

"I'm a scientist, not a veterinarian," Washu turned her head and shut her eyes to avoid the child's pleading gaze. "Bringing dead animals back to life is beneath me."

"It should be no problem for you," Mihoshi smiled with naïve confidence. "You have degrees in Medicine, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Theology, Medieval Metaphysics, Philosophy, History, Physics, and Gynecology! And you founded the doctrine of Mad Science. This should be a piece of cake!"

Despite herself, Washu's lips were beginning to curl upward.

"Yes-yes!" Sasami nodded. "You're the greatest genius who ever lived! We packed them in ice, you should be able to fix them!"

"So you want me to experiment on cute furry animals, huh?" Washu took another peek into the bag to view its grizzly contents. "Well, I guess I can use the cadavers to teach my afternoon class how to reanimate dead tissue. Meet me at five o'clock. I should have something for you then."

"Oh thank you Doctor von Washu!" Sasami gushed.

"Thank you!" smiled Mihoshi. The duo clapped their hands only to be shushed by the library patrons.

_Next: Ryo-ohki Lives!_


	9. Ryoohki Lives

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Kevin Smith © View Askew. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Nine: Ryo-ohki Lives_

"Tenchi!" Ayeka gasped as she opened the door for the young man. "You look so angry! What happened?"

"Have you read the paper?" Tenchi asked. "I heard about it while having breakfast at my club. Ryoko's crypt was broken into and somebody made off with the body!"

"I know, Inspector Yosho of Scotland Yard was here just an hour ago and told me about it. It's just beastly!"

"I can guess where the body went," growled the young solicitor. "I'll bet money that it's in von Washu's lab right now!"

"Oh my!" Ayeka put a hand over her mouth. "How unpleasant! What are you going to do?"

"I'm going over to the university and talk to Professor von Washu. I'm going to get to the bottom of this! Miss Ayeka, I'd like you to come with me."

"I'm not sure I should," Ayeka replied. "Sasami and Mihoshi are missing. One of us should stay here in case they come back."

"That's all right," Tenchi agreed. "What I have to say to that woman shouldn't be said in front of a lady! Call Kiyone in case they show up there and I'll call you from the university."

"Tenchi, wait," Ayeka handed him a tiny crucifix that was suspended from a slender chain. "Take this with you. I know that you don't believe in vampires, but something happened to Ryoko, and I'd feel better knowing that God was watching over you."

Tenchi nodded as his cheeks burned with shame. Here Ayeka was responsibly looking out for her friends and all he could think about was vengeance against Washu. "It's all right, Miss Ayeka," he said numbly as his hand accepted the cross seemingly of its own violation. "I have my father's old service revolver in my jacket."

Ayeka nodded wordlessly and waved sadly as Tenchi walked out the door and into the streets of London.

London University was widely considered to be the most prestigious and modern bastion of scientific knowledge in the world. Nearly all of the sciences, from archeology to zoology were represented here, and the Department of Mad Science was not afraid to mix the disciplines in ways that no one had ever dared to. Alexander Graham Bell's invention had been installed last year, supplementing its telegraph and connecting it to the outside world. The analytic engine of the late Charles Babbage had been updated and put to a practical use, allowing a steam-powered computer of sorts to assist with the storage of data. Science could be studied day and night, due to a clever system of gaslights that burned cleanly and efficiently and could be lit or extinguished without trouble. Even so, Thomas Edison's light bulb could be found in various offices around the campus and there were plans to refit the campus with electrical lighting if the electrical generator built by Nikola Telsa and K.T. von Washu proved to be practical for continuous use. Therefore, it was a terrible blow for mankind's understanding of the universe that the Science Building would cease to exist in six hours and forty-two minutes after Tenchi Harker entered the campus.

At the office of the Department of Mad Science, Tenchi Harker addressed the secretary behind the desk. "I'd like to speak with Doctor von Washu, please."

"She's teaching a class," the secretary replied, apology on his acne ravaged face.

Irritably, Tenchi took off his hat and sat down on a bench to wait, fuming. He drummed his fingers anxiously as he stared at his shoes and realized that he forgot to ask how long the class would take.

When he looked up, he saw the Mad Science secretary towering over him. The bespectacled pimply man was incredibly large and fat! His nose had so much acne that it was a bright reddish orange color as if he was some clown. The man's proximity made the solicitor claustrophobic. "Excuse me, Mister…" Tenchi glanced at the nameplate on the desk. "…Amagaski…"

"Here," Amagaski produced a cigarette and spoke with a rather forced British accent. "Have a fag?"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. "What did you call me?" shouted the seething solicitor. "What makes you think I'd be interested in _that_?

"Hey, don't get upset," Amagaski's English accent vanished as Tenchi jumped to his feet. "It's British slang." The stout, red nosed man made another try at a British accent. "I just asked if you wanted a cigarette, mate."

"I ain't your mate, fag!" Tenchi punched him so hard that Amagaski flew threw the air and collided with the file cabinets and bookshelves on the far wall. The stunned secretary blinked in surprise as he lifted his battered and bleeding body off the floor to see that Tenchi flexing his hand and muttering, "Get a life, clown," as he walked out the door.

Meanwhile, light flashed in the laboratory of Doctor von Washu. The mad doctor was clad in men's clothing, including a white lab coat and thick goggles. "Okay class," the little scientist announced to her students. "Today we're resurrecting dead tissue! Now in order to create a golem of flesh, it usually takes body parts from at least six different corpses, but two should do in our case. My ancestor, Victor von Frankenstein really made a mess of his stitching, but as you can see, sometimes a needle and thread requires a woman's touch," she winked at her students cheekily, for with the exception of Marie Curie, they were all male. "Are you taking all of this down? There's going to be a test on Thursday! Okay, I hope you guys can sew a button, because I'm going to be grading on style. Now that our electric generator is fully charged, we are ready for the final phase. The autonomous reanimation itself! Okay, does anybody here know how much power we need? Yes, Moreau, I see your hand there!"

"One point twenty-one jigawatts," the French student answered.

"Very good, Moreau," Washu nodded as she connected the electrodes to the brown furry creature on the table. "One point twenty-one jigawatts, or the same amount of power as a bolt of lightning." She lowered her thick, dark goggles over her eyes and pulled thick rubber gloves out of her lab coat. "In my great-grandfather's day, he had to wait for an electrical storm, but here at London University, we're fortunate to have the Telsa/Von Washu Electrical Generator, the most powerful electrical generator in the world. Nikola and I put in a lot of hours building this baby, so I want everyone to be very careful with it, all right? Everybody have your goggles on?"

Murmurs and nods of assent answered her.

"Notice that I've attached the direct current cable to the electrode on the subject's forehead. In my great-grandfather's day, he used two metal bolts to transfer the one point twenty-one jigawatts to the subject's cerebellum. We are going to use a crystal that I recovered from the meteor strike of eighty-nine to do the same thing. You can see the red jewel on the creature's forehead." She pointed to the head of the small furry hybrid creature and called out to her students in the back row. "Can you see? Can you see in the back there? It's really quite amazing. It is seventy-five percent more conductive than iron. I have it attached to the subject's skull, so it should transfer the one point twenty-one jigawatts to the brain with no problem. Okay, let's get this baby cookin', shall we?" After attaching the cable, checking the connections and making sure that all safety precautions had been taken Washu walked over to a large machine whose only recognizable feature was a large lever. "All right, we've checked the cables and hookups. Now it's time, as my great-grandfather used to say 'Throw the svitch!' Aha-ha-ha!" Lightning crackled across electrical apparatus and Jacob's ladders appeared between electrodes. "It's alive! It's alive! Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" the mad doctor chortled insanely.

An eerie meowing sound could be heard over the electrical crackles and the insane cackles. The mournful sound raised the hair on the back of the students' necks.

Meanwhile, Tenchi Harker, exhausted from a lack of sleep and being in a guilt-ridden, indignant, boiling-under-the-surface-thirst-for-vengeance all day, collapsed on a couch in a lounge on the top floor of a conical tower in the Mad Science Building. He closed his eyes and ignored the view of the campus that this chamber offered. Soon he began to drool as a loud snore escaped his lips.

At the Murray house, Doctor Kiyone Seward and Ayeka Murray scolded the delinquent duo of Sasami Morris and Mihoshi Renfield.

"I can't believe you just ran off without telling anyone!" Kiyone scolded. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Yes," Ayeka agreed. "After what happened to Ryoko we have to be very careful! Sasami, you are far too young to be out on your own!"

"But Mihoshi was with me," Sasami insisted weakly.

"Oh yes," Ayeka snarled sarcastically. "I _really_ feel better, knowing that you were escorted around London by a _mental patient_."

"Mihoshi, we worry about you," Kiyone gently reprimanded. "Until we can find the root of your condition, you need to be in a carefully controlled environment. I'm sorry, but I really think that it would be safer for you back at the hospital."

Tears appeared in the bronze-skinned blonde's eyes. "Oh please don't get mad, Kiyone," Mihoshi begged her. "We didn't do anything wrong, honest! We just went to the university, gave Washu the animals and came right back! That's all!"

"Okay," Kiyone closed her eyes and let out a breath, "but you've got to promise you won't go anywhere without telling me or Ayeka first, all right? If anything happened to you and you needed help we wouldn't know where to start looking."

"I promise," Mihoshi nodded as eagerly as a child. "You can count on me."

"What _was_ so important that you two had to leave the house so quickly anyway?" Ayeka asked them. "You could at least have told me you were leaving!"

"I'm sorry," Sasami looked at her shoes. "We just took my animals to Doctor von Washu to see if she could restore them to life, that's all."

"Do you really think that von Washu can do it?" Ayeka asked. "Do you _really_ think that she can return your kitty and bunny to life?"

"Of course!" Mihoshi replied. "She's the greatest scientist in the universe, isn't she?"

"Yeah!" Sasami agreed. "If she can't do it, no one can!"

"Er-a-heh-heh…" Ayeka laughed nervously, inwardly groaning as she realized that she was talking to a ten-year-old child and a mental patient.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Sasami leapt to her feet.

"Yes," Ayeka sniffed, "you certainly will. I've been answering the door lately and that is _your_ duty as my domestic, Sasami."

"_I'll_ answer the door, Sasami," Kiyone said gently when she saw the crestfallen look on Sasami's face.

"No," Ayeka insisted. "Sasami should get it. It's time for the girl to remember her _duty_."

Kiyone smiled weakly at the blue haired housemaid as she strode sadly to the door. "You were a little hard on her," she whispered to Ayeka.

"It's for her own good," the purple haired heiress retorted. "It's tough love. If anything happens to her I'll go crazy!"

"It's not so bad," Mihoshi smiled. "You can say whatever you want and eat lots of ice cream!"

"Will you be quiet?" Kiyone snapped. When she saw the hurt and submissive expression on Mihoshi's face she sighed and turned to Ayeka. "I can see what you mean by 'tough love'."

Sasami surprised everyone by returning to the parlor jumping up and down with happy excitement. "Hey everybody!" the ten-year-old cheered. "Guess who's paying us a visit? It's Professor von Washu!"

"Howdy everybody!" Washu smiled as she entered. The carrot-topped scientist was wearing a long skirt, a short-rimmed flat crowned hat, and a green dress, blouse, jacket and gloves. In one hand she held a matching parasol. Cradled in her other hand was a large carpetbag. "I look like a short, red-haired Mary Poppins don't I?" Washu winked shamelessly at the reader.

"Miss von Washu," Ayeka started indignantly.

Before she could continue, Washu slapped the heiress in the face four times in quick succession. "Doctor!" Washu demanded as her face twisted in rage. "or 'Professor'! I'm a genius, dammit!"

"Does Ayeka live in a hospital too?" Mihoshi asked Kiyone, "'cause this seems awfully familiar."

Kiyone blushed and put her hand over her eyes.

Washu certainly took control of a room once she entered it. "Now where was I?" she asked out loud. "Oh yes! I came over here to show you my latest creation!"

"Wait a minute!" Kiyone demanded. "What creation?"

Sasami tugged shyly at Washu's sleeve. "Have you managed to help my bunny and my kitty?" the pink-eyed maid asked her.

"Even better!" grinned the eccentric scientist. "I took the parts you gave me and made you a brand new one!" Washu reached into her carpetbag and with the flourish of a stage magician extracted a dark, brown furry animal the size of a teacup Chihuahua. "May I present the world's cutest pet, Ryo-ohki!"

"Huh?" the girls leaned in close to examine the cute furry animal that Washu was holding by the nape of the neck.

"Miss Washu, what _is_ that thing?" Ayeka asked with astonishment.

"Doctor!" Washu slapped her so hard that a red hand mark was left on the heiress' face as Ayeka staggered backwards. "Doctor or Professor! Take your pick! I didn't sacrifice my childhood to have ten PhD's so that I would be called 'Miss' ya know!"

"_Doctor_ von Washu," Kiyone addressed her carefully. "What is that thing?"

"Meow," said the cute furry animal that Washu held in her palm.

"It's a hybrid that I created!" the mercurial Washu smiled with exhilaration. "It's a cabbit!"

"A cabbit?" Kiyone repeated. (Ayeka was still rubbing her cheek and keeping a safe distance from the mad doctor.)

"Yep," Washu nodded. "I named her after the late Miss Westenra. 'Ryo-ohki' is a variant of the name 'Ryoko' just as 'Jamie' is a variant of the name 'James'. I figure that new life out of death is a great way to honor Ryoko's memory. Just look at this cute little thing. It's so cute that I could conquer the world and no one would care! Just take a look at this little devil!"

"Mia?" said the shy little Ryo-ohki.

"Hmm," Kiyone, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Sasami leaned forward to examine the strange animal. It seemed to have the head, torso and forelegs of a cat and the rump, tail and hind legs of a rabbit. It was so small it was obviously a baby. Although its uniform color was a dark brown, the creature's paws were white. Ryo-ohki's yellow, catlike eyes fit the whiskers on its feline head, but her ears were large enough for an adult rabbit. In the center of the animal's forehead was a tiny blood red stone that was smaller than a kernel of corn.

'Cabbit' seemed to be a fitting description for it, and, as Sasami and Mihoshi exclaimed simultaneously: "It's so cute!"

"Here ya go, Sasami," Washu handed the little creature to the blue-haired girl. "One adorable house-pet. I augmented the brain so it should be smart enough to understand human speech after it grows up a bit."

"It's adorable!" Sasami gushed as she cradled the creature in her hands, although in truth the animal was small enough to fit in just one of her tiny palms. "Is this the baby of my kitty and my bunny?"

A bead of sweat appeared on Washu's temple as she pulled at the brooch at her throat uncomfortable. "Well… not really. That _is_ your kitty and your bunny."

"What?" Sasami gasped in horror.

"Me-yow…!" Ryo-ohki's tiny claws grasped Sasami's sleeve for dear life.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Ryo-ohki!" Sasami cupped her hands and nuzzled the little animal with her cheek. "I'll make it up to you. Let's go to the kitchen and find you something to eat, okay?"

"Mia!" Unlike a cat or a rabbit, this little animal was actually able to smile. Perhaps Washu really _had_ created the world's cutest pet.

The women watched as the girl took her new friend into the kitchen.

"Um, Doctor von Washu," Mihoshi asked shyly. "What did you mean when you said that creature _was_ Sasami's kitty and bunny?"

"I told you that I was going to use the carcasses to demonstrate the reanimation of dead tissue, didn't I?" Washu retorted. "I simply reenacted my great-grandfather's old experiment. I used the pieces to create a new life form greater than the sum of its parts."

Ayeka couldn't believe her ears. "Th-that's horrible!" she gasped. "I've participated in protests against vivisection! How could you do such a thing to two cute adorable animals?"

"When they're dead, they don't feel any pain," Washu shrugged. "When they are alive they're adorable little creatures. When they're dead they are raw material for my experiments."

"Ugh, is that what you've done with Ryoko's body?" Ayeka pointed an accusing finger at the little genius. "You ought to be arrested for what you've done."

"Don't look at me. _I_ had nothing to do with it," Washu shook her head. "If I had taken Ryoko's body, I'd be bragging about it."

"You know, I believe you would," growled the purple-haired heiress. "All right, smarty pants, if you used parts of Sasami's pets to make that new one, what happened to the parts you didn't use?"

"I let my students use 'em," Washu shrugged. "Their reanimation projects are due Tuesday."

On the other side of London, deep in the cellar of the Science Building of London University, a hideous patchwork creation of various beasts lumbered out of a laboratory and roared in anger at the agony of its tortured existence. The creature had the body of a bear, the tail of a crocodile, and the head of a very irritated baby rabbit with cat ears. The entire building was soon evacuated as the hideous creature roared and pursued the Mad Science students, who realized belatedly that their reanimation project was completely out of control, and would be unpresentable for grading on Tuesday. Tenchi Harker, handsome young solicitor and man about town, dozed on, obvious to the fact that a monster was on the loose and that the entire building he was sleeping in would be completely destroyed approximately ten minutes after he woke up.

_Next: Dreams of Delirium_


	10. Dreams of Delirium

_Galaxy 1001D presents:_

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Ten: Dreams of Delirium_

In the kitchen Sasami looked around for something to feed her little pet. "Let's see," the blue-haired girl set the animal down on the counter. "You have your stomach in the part of your body that looks like a rabbit. Let's start you on vegetables and go on from there."

Reaching into a bowl of crunchy vegetables, Sasami pulled out a bright orange carrot. The bunny-kitten sniffed at it suspiciously and then took a tiny nibble. Its big yellow eyes bulged out and then it started eating like a rabbit, literally.

"Hey, it looks like we found something you like," smiled Sasami.

"Me-yow-ow," purred the tiny cabbit.

Back in the parlor, Washu had once again deflected Ayeka's accusations and was taking control. "I'd like to see Ryoko's diary and other personal effects," the redhead stated. "While I'm at it, I'd like to interview you and find out more about Ryoko."

"Why are you so curious?" Kiyone asked suspiciously.

"If my theory is correct, it will be important to build an accurate psychological profile of her," Washu replied matter-of-factly.

"Why?" Kiyone asked again. "She's… dead isn't she?"

"After last night I'm not so sure," Washu replied.

"Von Washu!" Ayeka gasped. "Oww!" she cried as Washu hit her with a backhanded slap. "I mean _Doctor_ von Washu! What do you mean? Do you think that Ryoko might still be alive?"

"I don't know," Washu replied. "All I know is that _something_ got into Sasami's room and killed her little pets the same way Ryoko was killed. I don't see why a fiend that would kill an innocent woman like Ryoko would spare a helpless child like Sasami. Her life was spared for a reason."

"Aha!" Mihoshi exclaimed, causing Ayeka, Kiyone and Washu to involuntarily jump. "You _did_ find a clue on those carcasses I gave you!"

"That's right, I did," Washu put her hands on her hips and tried to look humble and haughty at the same time. She succeeded in looking haughty. "You can't hide clues that obvious from a genius. The puncture marks on the animals were similar but not identical to the ones on Ryoko's throat, but they were identical to each other. That means that a different, but similar creature to the vampire that killed Ryoko is loose out there, feasting on the blood of the living."

"A different one?" Ayeka asked hesitantly. "There are two?"

"Yep," Washu nodded. "There are at least two vampires out there, and both of them can get into your home it seems. Now why would a feral creature of the night spare easy prey like Sasami?"

"Because she is so sweet and innocent!" Mihoshi answered.

"Why would it care?" Washu countered. "How would it know that Sasami was sweet and innocent? For all it knows, she could be a brat."

"Because of the prayer beads and crucifixes she went to bed with last night?" Ayeka guessed.

"Miss Ayeka, you have garlic and crosses hanging from the ceiling of every room in this house," Washu shook her head. "Try again."

"Um… the vampire wasn't very thirsty?" Mihoshi guessed timidly.

"Nope," Washu shook her head. "If that was the case, Sasami would have woke up the next morning with two little marks on her neck and not realized anything was wrong. The vampire would only take a little bit at a time, try again."

"Let me try," Kiyone raised her hand sarcastically. "The psychiatrist grabs a hammer and hits Doctor von Washu over the head until she gets to the point? Cut to the chase already. Why do you think that Sasami was spared? Do you think that the vampire was sending us a message or something?"

"It's hard to say," Washu crossed her arms and started to pace back and forth. "Still, I have a feeling that the second vampire was someone who actually lived in this house during life. Someone who still feels like she is still a part of this place…"

"Oh no!" Ayeka put her hands over her mouth. "Do mean that the second vampire could be… Ryoko?"

"Yep," Washu nodded. "That's my hunch. We don't have much time, and I need to know all about her. Warts and all. If I'm right, none of you are safe. If Ryoko is one of the undead, she will be driven by a twisted version of what motivated her in life. Love will become obsession. Dislike will become hatred. She will have no sense of right or wrong, just selfish desire. Couple that with her supernatural powers and she will be more dangerous than Bismarck with an unlimited military budget."

"But this is _Ryoko_," Mihoshi insisted. "Surely there will be some part of her that will still care for us."

Washu shook her head. "Sorry, Mihoshi, but this is a vampire you are talking about. They don't have human souls, just demons to animate their undead shells and walk about. It would be different if Ryoko was still in there, but we are talking about an evil spirit that is using Ryoko's memories and persona to achieve sentience."

Kiyone crossed her arms skeptically. "If that's the case, then why would Ryoko's psychological profile matter?" the delicious doctor asked the short scientist. "If it's not Ryoko in there, why would it be affected by her wants and desires?"

"Because the demon is an empty creature," Washu replied. "In its natural state, it is completely empty. It depends on us for motivation, sustenance, experience, its very existence! It is driven to consume… life, memory, joy, sadness, vitality, power… its appetite knows no bounds!"

"How will we know if someone is a vampire?" Ayeka asked. "They could look just like you or I couldn't they? How do we know if someone has a soul?"

"Oh that's easy," Washu cracked a grim smile. "People without souls don't have reflections. In a vampire's case, symbolism takes precedence over physics."

"Doctor von Washu," Ayeka asked timidly. "If Ryoko _has_ risen from the dead, what can we expect her to be like?"

"The creature inhabiting Ryoko's shell will be affected symbolically by the life she lived as a human. Her psychological traits will become supernatural weaknesses. Her desires as a human will be obsessions as a vampire." Washu paused in her lecture to carefully eye the three incredulous women. "Now tell me, what did Ryoko desire the most in this world over anything else?"

Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone blurted out the word simultaneously. "Tenchi!"

Tenchi Harker was enveloped in darkness. He felt as if he was drifting through the air, but he didn't feel the wind on his face. Presently a light was visible, and his feet found solid ground. He heard a familiar voice. "Tenchi… Tenchi…" He turned to see Ryoko behind him, her features pale in the dim light. "Tenchi, why didn't you protect me?" Ryoko whined pitifully. "I loved you… and you let me die…" She stepped out of the shadows and Tenchi could see her collar of her blouse had been rudely torn open to reveal her bleeding throat. Suddenly Ryoko was not dressed in her Victorian walking clothes but was barely covered by a white nightshirt that was open in the front, exposing her slender neck and her curvaceous alabaster bosom. Blood was dripping from two punctures on her neck to stain Ryoko's white nightgown crimson. Ryoko's eyes were empty of life, of hope. She wasn't even angry, she was almost too drained to feel despair. "Why did you let me die, Tenchi…?"

Tenchi tried to speak but he couldn't hear his own voice. It was as if his mouth was moving and no words came out.

Washu's voice came from the light at his back. "He didn't believe me. I told him there was a vampire after you, but Tenchi didn't believe me." Tenchi turned to see the mad doctor sitting in Ayeka's study, calmly thumbing through a book on the occult. "Hey, I only have ten PhD's, what do I know? There's no point listening to me," the redheaded genius commented sarcastically.

"Doctor von Washu!" Tenchi gasped. "What…?"

"It's all right Tenchi," Ayeka appeared out of the shadows, clad in her pink flowing robes known by the rich as 'morning dress,' "Everybody knows there's no such thing as vampires."

"M-miss Ayeka!" Tenchi pointed at the heiress in horror. "Y-your neck! You're bleeding from your neck!"

As Ayeka stepped into the light, the two tiny wounds on her neck started bleeding profusely. At the same time, the front of her robe fell open to reveal the heiress' cleavage. "What are you talking about Tenchi?" Ayeka's eyes seemed glazed over as a scarlet trickle seeped down past her shoulder and into her décolletage. "There are no such things as vampires. I know, because you told me."

"Ayeka!" Tenchi cried. "Oh no! You've got to see a doctor!"

Kiyone's comforting voice floated out of the darkness. "Calm down Tenchi," she said as the light expanded to illuminate the teal-haired woman reclining on a psychiatrists couch. She was wearing an exquisite evening gown with opera gloves and jewelry. Like Ayeka and Ryoko before her, her neck was bleeding. A sanguinary puddle was forming underneath the couch, the drops causing ripples on the surface. "There is no such thing as vampires," she muttered weakly as her eyes flickered. "Anyone who thinks there is should be committed."

The young solicitor jumped as Mihoshi's voice chirped in his ear. "It's okay, Tenchi, I believe you! Vampires are hazardous to your health." Tenchi turned to see Mihoshi dressed in a jacket with leg-o-mutton sleeves, her blouse buttoned up to the tie at her neck and a long dress that nearly obscured the ankles of her boots. Hands clad in kidskin gloves clasped her suitcase before her, as if she was about to embark on a voyage. "I'm ready to go to Transylvania, hope you feel better!"

"M-Mihoshi!" Tenchi stammered, tears forming in his eyes. "Don't go! That trip will only end in disaster!"

"I'll be okay," Mihoshi waved to the boy jauntily. "You worry too much! I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. I'm not a child."

"Tenchi, is Ayeka going to die like my parents did?" Sasami asked as she tugged on his sleeve. "She sure has lost a lot of blood. If everybody dies, what do I do? I'm frightened! I'm too young to be all alone!"

"Hello Tenchi! I'm back from my trip!" Mihoshi grinned as she lay on the floor, her arms restrained in a straightjacket. "You see, Tenchi? You were right! Everything worked out okay! I was scared to go overseas by myself, but you convinced me I could do it!"

"Why did you let me die?" Ryoko asked as wind that Tenchi couldn't feel ruffled her hair and made her nightshirt cling to her lithe and curvaceous body. "Didn't you love me? I would have done anything to save _you_."

"Th-there's no such thing as vampires…" Ayeka murmured weakly as the trickle of blood continued to stain her morning dress and dripped onto the floor. "Y-you s-said that there's no such thing… Oooh." She closed her eyes and swayed back and forth before dropping to the floor in a faint.

"Ayeka!" Tenchi cried, unable to catch her. For some reason his arms didn't seem to be working. Neither were his legs for that matter. He could only watch as Ayeka fell to the ground to land in a growing pool of her own blood.

"Ayeka," a teary-eyed Sasami crouched by her fallen mistress. "Please don't leave me… I don't want to be alone again!"

"You let me die," a teary eyed Ryoko murmured lifelessly.

"_I'll_ help you!" Mihoshi offered as she thrashed on the ground in her straightjacket. "_I_ believe you! Of course, you'll have to let me out of this straightjacket first, and I might hurt myself and others, but hey? It beats no help at all, right?"

Tenchi could hardly see them through the tears in his eyes. "Kiyone!" he called. "They need a doctor!"

Kiyone simply lay on her couch with her eyes closed. The pool of blood under her seemed to be growing.

"Doctor von Washu!" Tenchi begged. "Please! Help us!"

"I thought you didn't believe in vampires," Washu eyed Tenchi critically as she closed her book. "I thought that I was a charlatan who stole Ryoko's body and probably caused her death. Isn't that what you were thinking?"

"I… I," Tenchi stuttered lamely. "Of course not!"

Washu rose from her chair and put her hands on her hips. "Then why are you packin' heat, Tenchi? What's the deal with your father's service revolver? What were ya gonna do, force a confession out of me?"

"Er, uh… that is… I mean…" Tenchi searched lamely for an answer.

"If you're so convinced of my guilt, why are you still carrying that cross Ayeka gave you, Tenchi?" Washu asked slyly. "Could it be that you're starting to believe me?"

"Um…"

"Well, which is it?" Washu snapped irritably. "I haven't got all day! Do you believe me or not?"

"Don't let me die, Tenchi," Ryoko moaned quietly.

"Don't die Ayeka!" Sasami cried. "Don't leave me all alone!"

"Stop it!" Tenchi closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears. "I'm going crazy!"

"When you're crazy all the time, you act merry and sublime," Mihoshi chanted as she rolled on the floor in her straightjacket. "Then you hear things you can't see, and then you start to rhyme… just like me!"

"You're out of your mind!" Tenchi shouted at the dizzy blonde. "I won't rhyme!"

"So do ya believe me or not?" Washu repeated, her emerald eyes piercing Tenchi's soul.

"Yes!" Tenchi cried. "Please Doctor von Washu! If you can help them, I'll believe anything!"

"Too late!" Washu grinned like a lunatic as she pulled out a loaded crossbow from behind her chair. "Check your neck, Tenchi!"

"Wha?" Tenchi put his hand to his throat and felt something warm and sticky. When he pulled it away his fingers were stained in blood.

"Better safe than sorry!" Washu cried gleefully as she pulled the trigger.

"Yaah!" Tenchi awoke with a start and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. It was dark. What time was it? "Huh?" he blinked stupidly as stood up groggily and rubbed his neck. "Oh great. I fell asleep," he muttered, not realizing where he was. "I missed all my appointments and everyone's gone…" He stopped when he looked out the window and realized that he was in a lounge or study on the top floor of a tower atop the Science Building of London University and not in his office after all. His head jerked as he heard as strange ringing noise.

"Meow."

Tenchi looked down and spotted Sasami's kitten in the corner of the room. He knew it was Sasami's cat even in the dim light because it was wearing the collar with the bell on it that the young housemaid had put on it so that she would always know where it was. "Kitty!" Tenchi softly exclaimed. "H-how the heck did you get in here?"

The cat meowed again and ran towards him. Tenchi knelt down to pick it up when the feline vanished before his eyes.

"Huh?" Tenchi froze as he heard the familiar ringing behind him. It sounded a lot higher up. A woman's laughter broke the silence, bringing the young solicitor back to life as he rose, turned and beheld the stranger behind him.

She was hidden in the shadows, but her wild hair made her appear to have escaped from a madhouse. She was sitting atop a sturdy bookcase so that her feet swung just inches above eye level. The roof of the conical tower study was nearly twenty feet above the floor, but in the darkness it appeared to be a yawning chasm into infinity.

The woman was twirling the cat's ribbon collar in her fingers, causing the bell to ring eerily. Abruptly she caught it in her fist and caressed it against her cheek closing her eyes in apparent ecstasy. Without opening her eyes, she tossed it to Tenchi, who gaped as he saw the collar leave a trail of fairy-like sparks behind it as it sailed through the air.

"Oh," Tenchi gasped as he caught the little collar with both hands.

"Ryoko," the strange woman murmured, exposing perfectly straight teeth with sharp canines.

"Ah?" Tenchi looked up from his hands to take a better look at the mysterious woman.

"That's my name…" she said teasingly. She opened her eyes to reveal two glowing green lanterns where her pupils should have been.

Tenchi's breath caught in his throat.

_Next: It Was Cold In There…_


	11. It Was Cold In There

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Eleven: It Was Cold In There…_

The next morning it was business as usual at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. "Doctor Seward!" an orderly cried. "We have a patient that is armed and dangerous!"

"Everyone keep calm!" Kiyone ordered as she entered the room. There, in the center of the cafeteria, was Mihoshi brandishing a double-barreled shotgun.

"Don't you worry!" Mihoshi announced to the cringing patients and staff that were hiding behind tables and counters. The look on her face was one of determination. "There's nothing to fear here! No one is going to get by me!"

"Mihoshi!" Doctor Kiyone Seward exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Hello Kiyone," the demented blonde smiled, "Don't you worry about a thing! No vampires are going to get in here! Not while _I'm_ on the case!"

"Mihoshi, put down that shotgun," Kiyone ordered. "You're scaring everyone half to death!"

"Really? Oh my!" Mihoshi rested the shotgun on her shoulder and glanced around the cafeteria. "I thought they were all hiding from the vampire."

"No, bubble-brain, they're all hiding from _you_!" Kiyone corrected. "Now hand me that firearm before somebody gets hurt."

"But Kiyone, what if a vampire comes in here?" Mihoshi asked with genuine concern. "Most of the patients in here can't defend themselves. Who will look out for them?"

"Mihoshi, it's broad daylight, even if vampires _did_ exist, I seriously doubt one would choose this minute to invade the hospital," Kiyone insisted. "Gun, please."

"Okay, here you go," the bronze skinned blonde smiled as she handed Kiyone the shotgun. "Just make sure that's in a place we can get to it, okay? The sun won't stay out forever, you know."

The nameless orderly that resembled Captain Nobeyama from episodes four, seven, and thirteen of _Tenchi Muyo Ryo-ohki OVA_ let out a breath he had been holding. "Shall I take Mihoshi back to her room, Doctor?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary," Kiyone shrugged as she unloaded the shotgun. "Just have the nurses give her a bath, a massage, and a hot meal. That always calms _me_ down you know."

"Right away, doctor," the orderly nodded to a trio of nurses who bore a striking resemblance to Sayuka's classmates from _Shin Tenchi Muyo_. The nurses led Mihoshi away to pamper her and let her know she was loved.

"We have another case, Doctor," the orderly announced. "She's waiting in your office."

"Okay, I'll take a look at her." Kiyone turned on her heel and walked out the door.

The woman waiting in her office was young and beautiful, but since her hair was dyed a deep shade of green, Kiyone suspected that she was mentally unbalanced. Still, since the doctor had suffered a hair dye mishap herself, she decided to give the woman the benefit of the doubt.

"My name is Noike Kamiki Jurai. I'm the adopted granddaughter of Lady Seto," the emerald tressed woman announced. "I was formerly Mihoshi's partner in the Galaxy Police and have Kagato's female half inside of me. I'm not really Tenchi's fiancé; that was just a ruse for Lady Seto to plant me into the Masaki household to keep an eye on everyone. Washu is really a goddess and so is Sasami. Tenchi's grandfather and Ayeka and Sasami's half-brother are the same man. Ryoko was created as a scientific experiment by Washu over five thousand years ago using her own egg cells. Ryo-ohki isn't really a carrot-eating pet; she is a spaceship. Ayeka and Sasami traveled here to earth from a distant planet in a spaceship that is really an intelligent tree. A creature called 'Z' is coming to destroy the earth and I'm being used as an unwitting pawn! You've got to help me!"

"Don't worry," Kiyone assured the distraught woman, "We'll give you all the help you need." She picked up a little bell from her desk and rang it.

The orderly appeared in the doorway. "Yes, doctor?"

"This woman is incurably insane," Kiyone gestured to Noike. "Take her away and put her in the mental ward."

"Will we be giving her the standard care for mental patients?" the orderly asked.

"Yes," Kiyone nodded. "Take her away, beat her into submission, put her in a straightjacket and throw her in a cell not fit for dogs. We'll give her the finest treatment that modern psychiatric medicine can provide."

"Yes doctor," the orderly nodded, "of course."

The orderly was joined by others who clubbed the screaming Noike and dragged her struggling form out the door. Kiyone laughed cruelly to herself. She then exhaled a deep breath and tried to make sense of the last few days.

It was all that crazy von Washu's fault. She needed to be in a mental institution more than Mihoshi did. She actually believed that vampires and other supernatural creatures existed in a scientific universe! Preposterous! Worse yet, the petite redhead's charisma and force of will made her most outlandish claims seem plausible. Only when free from her presence could one remember that this was a rational world and that nosferatu and other bugaboos did not exist.

Kiyone was reading the _London Times_ while enjoying a morning Danish when the orderly returned to announce the next crisis she would be dealing with.

"A young man was found wandering the streets," he stated. "The police found him raving about girls coming back from the dead. He claims to know you. Would you like to see him?"

"Know me?" Kiyone repeated. "Yes, of course I would. Send him in."

"Very well," the orderly bowed respectfully before he left. Soon two orderlies returned and dragged a haggard young man in a straightjacket into her office and sat him on the chair in front of her desk.

"Tenchi!" Kiyone stood up and leaned on her desk in surprise. "What happened to you? We've been worried sick!"

"Kee… Kee… Kee… Kiyone," Tenchi mumbled. His unseeing eyes blinked as he tried to focus on the delicious doctor. "Is that you?"

"Yes! It's me! It's really me, Tenchi!" she cried as crossed to his side of the desk and started pulling at the ties on his back. "Can you stand up? I can't untie this straightjacket."

"Y-yeah," he said as he staggered to his feet. "I think so…"

When they managed to get him out, Kiyone could see that his normal clothes didn't look any better. His shirt and trousers were stained and torn in several places, and his waistcoat was missing several buttons. His shoes were scuffed and dirtied with ash, dust and who knows what else. His tie was missing and his collar was crooked and uneven.

"Oh Tenchi," Doctor Seward exclaimed. "What happened to you?" Tenchi didn't respond, he just stared into space. "Tenchi?"

(Begin Flashback One)

"_No… no way!" Tenchi's mind swum with revelation. Ryoko! He could barely recognize her! Her long, soft, beautiful raven tresses had been transformed into a fright wig of wild cyan-white hair with tails that drooped down like comically long sideburns. Her soft, feminine features seemed more angular, more feral. Even her clothes were completely foreign to the woman he knew. She was dressed in a strange pale green robe with a high collar and a pink belt, like a nightgown or a Japanese kimono. She seemed ten years older, with the sophistication of an older woman. And her eyes! No longer were they the soft brown eyes of the girl that he grew up with. Now they were glowing a pale shade of green! What had von Washu said about vampires? They were cadavers animated by demons come back to torment the living!_

"_You can't be…" Tenchi gibbered like an imbecile. "Can't be… can't be…" Ryoko's eyes stopped glowing, but the room was filled with cricket-ball sized spheres of luminous pink light. "some… some… some kind of demon!" A sphere of pink light burst right before Tenchi's eyes. "Augh!" he cried as he put his arms over his head._

_The creature that was Ryoko Westenra hugged herself sadly. "It was cold in there, and dark," she uttered in a quiet voice._

_Tenchi hesitantly looked back at her, unable to believe the strange woman before him was really Ryoko, back from the dead!_

"_Do you know how long I was trapped in that crypt?" The vampire closed her eyes as if reliving the experience. "Seven hundred minutes!" She opened her eyes and Tenchi could see that they were now yellow, like an eagle's. Combined with the plumage of her windswept spiky hair, she looked like an angry bird of prey. "And I didn't like it! I didn't like it at all! All I want now is revenge!"_

"_Hey, it's not my fault!" Tenchi insisted._

"_No?" she asked as calmly as if she were discussing the weather._

"_No! Give me a break!" Tenchi exclaimed indignantly. "We all thought you were dead! Your instructions were for you to be interred intact, and that means that we had to have your burial as soon as possible!" _

"_I don't care," The vampire sounded almost like a spoiled child. She raised her right arm above her head and an ornamental sword flew off the wall to soar through the air to the monstrously transformed young woman. She held out her hand and caught the antique broadsword by the handle. The undead Ryoko smirked wickedly and announced, "I just need to let out my anger on you…right now!" Before Tenchi's startled eyes, the vampire leapt into the air and swung the blade over her head with both hands._

(End Flashback One)

"Aaaaaah!" a horrendous scream tore through the doctor's office.

"Tenchi!" Kiyone cried while hugging him. "Tenchi! Wake up! It's me! You're safe! You're safe now!"

"Kee… Kiyone," he mumbled. "I… I… it's daytime," he squinted as the morning sun streamed in through the windows. "I… I made it. I'm safe."

"Yes," Kiyone nodded. "You're safe. You're safe now. Everything's going to be all right."

Tenchi Harker blinked and then looked around him as if waking up from a bad dream. "Kiyone? Where am I? I'm at the hospital, how did I get here?"

"They found you wandering the streets," Kiyone replied carefully. "What happened to you? What do you remember about last night?"

"I… I… dreamed that I went to the university to confront Doctor von Washu. I thought she stole Ryoko's body."

"Uh-huh," Kiyone nodded, urging him to continue. "Then what happened?

"I… I… fell asleep, I think…" he muttered. "I had these fantastic dreams! I couldn't tell when I was asleep and when I woke up. I dreamed that Ryoko had come back to life to get revenge on the living."

"Ryoko came back to life?"

"I know, it sounds fantastic!" Tenchi nodded as his empty eyes stared out the window, "but it seemed so real… She could walk through walls and knock holes in the ceiling and even fly! She didn't even look like herself. Her hair was this whitish color and her eyes were as yellow as an eagle's. She had fangs like a cat! She didn't look like herself!"

"What happened next, Tenchi?" Kiyone prodded.

"She… she damaged the science building," he stammered. "There was a gas leak. She was blocking the door out of the classroom! I thought I was going to die!"

(Begin Flashback Two)

_Tenchi pressed his hands against the sides of his head and turned towards the wall. "I can just see the headlines. Brilliant lawyer blown to bits!" It was at this moment that all semblance of self-control eluded him and he started lamenting the most insignificant regrets. "Ah man… if I would have known I was going to die today… I wouldn't have done all that work over the weekend!" He cried. Suddenly, as quickly as it had left him his ability to reason returned. "I… I… think I might just have an idea…" he muttered._

_By this time, the demon that was Ryoko had ceased her advance was now regarding him with nervous puzzlement. "Hm?" she cooed like the feminine lady she used to be._

_Tenchi turned to her and smiled. "Hey!" He grinned a fake grin and pointed and stared to a building out the window. "What's that outside the window?" Soon his bravado began to leave him "I just used the oldest trick in the book," he groaned for surely no one could be fooled by such a transparent ploy._

_To his surprise he found the vampire staring out the window in childish curiosity and wonder. "Ooh!" Ryoko exclaimed. "What is it? I wanna see!" Gone was the lean and predatory gleam in her eye. Even her cheeks seemed to have the fullness of youth. _

_Tenchi seized the opportunity to sneak out the door to the corridor beyond. _

"_Hm?" Ryoko looked left and right with wide eyes searching for both the frantic young solicitor and the object that had seemed to fascinate him so. "Hm?" Looking right and left, she didn't see him "Hey!" she called out to Tenchi. "I don't wanna miss anything!"_

"_I can't believe she bought it!" Tenchi squealed as he ran out into the hall so fast that he stumbled and crawled forward until he could get back to his feet. "I'm outta here!" As the boy ran down the corridor he failed to see the dark shadow he left far behind that staggered to the door to the class he had just abandoned._

_In the classroom Ryoko looked around searching for both the young solicitor and the vision that had fascinated him so. "No, I don't see anything. I think… huh?" Realization dawned on the creature that she was alone. "What?" Shock and indignation was quickly replaced with embarrassed anger. "Grrrr! I'll get him!"_

_Suddenly the door lurched open and a hideous patchwork creation of various beasts lumbered into the classroom and roared in fury at the agony of its tortured existence. The creature had the body of a bear, the tail of a crocodile, and the head of a very irritated baby rabbit with cat ears. _

"_What the hell are you?" Ryoko demanded. "A Frankenstein monster, eh? No problem. I know your big weakness. Everybody knows Frankenstein monsters are afraid of fire!" _

_As Tenchi fled down the hall, the concussive force of a deafening explosion knocked him down. The young solicitor screamed as he tumbled to the ground and rolled forward._

_Tenchi staggered to his feet and gazed in wonder at the roaring flames filling the hall behind him. "Well… there she goes," he sighed. He clasped his hands together and bowed his head in prayer. "Poor Ryoko, you were such a good person." Then he remembered that she was actually a demon from hell. "Well, not really, but… huh?"_

_Impossibly, a female form stepped out of the flames. Completely unhurt with the exception of being covered in soot and ash, the creature that had been Ryoko Westenra blew smoke out of her mouth and rubbed soot out of her eyes. Even her soiled clothes were perfectly intact. The vampire coughed twice and exclaimed. "Hey! That's no way to treat a lady!" and leapt into the air to fly down the hall towards the terrified young lawyer. _

(End Flashback Two)

"Sounds terrifying," Kiyone patted his shoulder gently. "Is that when you woke up?"

"That's the worst part!" Tenchi exclaimed. "I didn't wake up! I didn't wake up, Kiyone! That terrifying dream just kept on going! I don't understand it! I spent the entire night trying to keep out of her clutches!"

"Well how did you escape?"

"She was flying down the hall like a speeding freight train when she got distracted by her reflection in a mirror and stopped to dust herself off."

(Begin Flashback Three)

"_I'm in big trouble!" Tenchi exclaimed as he ducked around a corner. "She's alive again!"_

_Ryoko flew down the corridor until a large full-length mirror that had been left in the hall distracted her. She smiled at her reflection, as cute as a ten-year-old girl until she noticed that she was covered in ash and soot. "Ooh! Look at me!" she exclaimed. "My hair is a mess!" Frantically she made little noises as she brushed the ash from her clothes and hair. "Oh! Oh!"_

_By now the terrified lawyer was feeling faint. "Heh-heh!" he laughed nervously as he snuck down a flight of stairs "Thank gawd!"_

(End Flashback Three)

"And that's when you got out of there, huh?" Kiyone asked him.

"No," Tenchi shook his head. "I couldn't lose her! No matter what I did. She was as strong as Hercules and as unkillable as Achilles! Even bullets from my father's old service revolver couldn't stop her!"

"My goodness," Kiyone gently humored him. What did you do?"

"Finally I remembered the silver cross that Ayeka had given me early that day. She said that she would feel better if I was wearing it. I took it out of my pocket and held it up to her face."

(Begin Flashback Four)

_Tenchi held the little cross in front of him, dangling it on its silver chain. "That's it! I've had it! Stop right there!" he ordered._

"_Huh?" said an unimpressed Ryoko. "What are you trying to do, hypnotize me?" Then she stared at the silver cross. It had a tiny ruby in the center. She seemed transfixed by the little holy symbol. A tear formed in her eye as she moaned like a child. "Oooh!"_

_Tenchi allowed himself a smile. It was working. With the cross in his hand, she couldn't touch him!_

"_Why Tenchi!" smiled Ryoko, "it's beautiful!" _

"_Wha?" the handsome young man's mouth hung open as all the color faded from his face. _

"_I shall treasure it always!" Ryoko exclaimed sweetly as she gently took the silver chain out of his limp and useless hands. She giggled like the Ryoko Westenra she used to be while she fastened the cross around her neck. "How do I look, Tenchi?" she asked in a convincing imitation of the way she used to flirt when she was one of the living. "It matches my hair, don't 'cha think?" She spun around like a dancer allowing the centrifugal force to pull the crucifix off her chest before it was pulled back by the chain to bounce against her breast._

(End Flashback Four)

"The cross didn't work?" Kiyone was becoming engrossed in his story despite herself. "How did you get away?"

"You'll never believe what finally stopped her," Tenchi sighed as he closed his eyes.

(Begin Flashback Five)

_Tenchi had picked up a broom and was welding it like a weapon while backing away from her slowly._

"_What's the big idea?" she blinked. "Are you planning to fight me?"_

_Tenchi's mouth opened before he could stop it. "If I had my way, I wouldn't fight a monster like you!"_

"_Monster?" Ryoko's face contorted into an angry caricature of her former self. Her right fist collided with Tenchi's jaw and sent the young man tumbling down the hall. Ryoko struggled to control her temper, but failed miserably. "Tell me, what makes you call a pretty young lady like me a ma-ma-monster?"_

"_C'mon!" Tenchi protested as he rose shakily to his feet and backed away. "You walk though fire, you walk through walls, you rip holes in the ceiling and you can even fly!"_

"_Very good reasons, but not good enough!" She growled as she dashed towards him. She was so angry that she couldn't even fly!_

_In a last ditch effort to defend himself, Tenchi grasped the broom with both hands hand swung it like an American baseball player. Unbelievably, Ryoko started in fear as her feet skidded on the floor as she attempted to back up. She dodged backwards, but not in time to avoid the boy's swing. Her arm was caught by the broom and her hand was severed off at the wrist._

_Her hand hit the wall and exploded into a cloud of dust. For a moment, the two combatants just crouched and stared at each other, ignoring the smoke and dust and not even blinking. Then the creature that was Ryoko looked out the window and stood up straight, drawing a deep resigned breath. She turned her head and stared up at the ceiling._

"_Oh well, another battle lost," she sighed. "That's the story of my life." Her golden eyes had lost their predatory gleam, and her cheeks once again had the fullness of youth. Despite all that happened, despite the uncanny transformation had had afflicted her, it was hard to believe that this creature wasn't really Ryoko._

"_I…" Tenchi stared at the end of his broom. It was broom bristles not an axe blade! He stammered apologetically at the creature that had once been a childhood friend and sweetheart. "I… I… I'm sorry!"_

_Ryoko smiled and shook her head. With the flourish of a stage magician, she passed her left hand over the stump on her right arm and appeared to pull a fresh hand out of her sleeve. She held up both hands, turning them back and forth, to show that she had two fully operational appendages. _

_Tenchi dropped the broom and started clapping. None of this seemed real anymore. Perhaps he was still asleep. _

"_Goodnight," The creature that was Ryoko breathed softly as she bowed and sunk into the floor as if she was entering water. _

_Tenchi was still clapping and laughing like a madman until an explosion knocked him off his feet and brought him back to his senses. He was in the Mad Science building, and it was on fire! Who knows what kind of volatile experiments are in the labs and classroom that are just waiting to go off like dynamite as the flames spread? He descended the now unguarded stairs and found a door to the outdoor campus at the bottom. Sirens and alarms were heard in the distance. _

(End Flashback Five)

"You stopped Ryoko with a _broom_? Kiyone shouted in disbelief. "And you blew up the Mad Science building?" She glanced at the newspaper on her desk. On the front page was a photograph of the London University Mad Science building going up in smoke. Had Tenchi really been there and committed arson in his delirium? What had really happened last night?

Kiyone's train of thought was broken by Tenchi's voice. How long had he been speaking to her?

"I have no idea how long I wandered the streets of London," Tenchi continued as his voice sounded more like his former self. "Finally, a friendly constable had found me and took me home. I thought it was over."

"It wasn't?" Kiyone blinked.

The young solicitor shook his head sadly. "Nope. I was in my flat, getting ready to go to bed when…"

(Begin Flashback Six)

_His shaking hand tentatively reached out to pull the blanket down to open the bed. "Hah?" A tangled mess of cyan-white hair greeted him. He lifted the covers to reveal the creature that was Ryoko, right there in his bed! "Yeagh!" Tenchi Harker leaped backwards as Ryoko stirred and rolled on her back to reveal that her blouse had come open, revealing her milky white chest. The silver crucifix still dangled on its chain between her breasts._

"_Hmm…" The vampire opened her eyes to smile at his distress. "Welcome home, Tenchi," she smirked._

_Tenchi Harker whined and prayed to the Creator above to deliver him from this darkness._

(End Flashback Six)

"I don't remember anything after that," Tenchi was studying his scuffed and muddy shoes. "I have dim recollections of running through fog and darkness, of trying to get to Ayeka's house to get help, but I wouldn't be surprised if my head fell asleep and let my feet take me wherever they may." He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Guess I ended up in the right place, huh?"

"Tenchi," said a concerned Kiyone Seward, "there must be a logical explanation for all this. You one of the sanest people I know and people don't come back from the dead!"

"Ryoko's death must have hit me harder than I thought," Tenchi shook his head sadly. "I must have really been in love with her and never realized it. Now I may as well get my things and find a room around here," he glanced around in resignation. "It looks like I'm going to be here for a while."

"That's nonsense, Tenchi," Kiyone shook her head stubbornly. "You aren't insane! Maybe you had too much to drink last night, or ate some foreign food or something. You _aren't_ insane!"

Tenchi just smiled sadly and shook his head as if he was a terminally ill patient who had finally accepted his fate. "That's nice of you to say, Kiyone, but we could've said the same thing about Mihoshi before her trip overseas. I can't tell fantasy from reality anymore. I might as well reserve a room."

"Stop talking like that," Kiyone scolded. "You. Are. Fine. You've just suffered a traumatic experience, that's all."

"Kiyone, I'm afraid to go home," He whispered.

"What?"

"I'm afraid that she'll still be there when I go home," he explained. "Silly, isn't it?" he cracked a smile. "I mean, even if vampires _did_ exist, she'd be in her coffin at this time of day… but I just can't go back there alone. Not after last night. Could you go with me?" When the teal-haired woman paused, he added. "You could look for clues and see if Ryoko really _was_ there last night. If she wasn't you could help me pack a few things before I come back _here_."

Kiyone smiled sadly. "Sure Tenchi, if that's what you want."

When Tenchi and Kiyone arrived at his lodgings, he was pleased to discover that his key was still in his trouser pocket, so there was no need to call his landlady to let them in. They entered his flat to find Tenchi's torn and discarded jacket draped on a chair.

"I was getting ready for bed," he explained as he picked a rumpled tie off the floor, "and then I walked into my bedroom and found the undead Ryoko in it." The two of them walked over to his bed. Kiyone had to admit that with all those full and quilted blankets on it, the bed _did_ look like it had an occupant. "When I sat on the bed to take off my shoes, I noticed that it was lumpy. There was somebody in it. I drew back the covers and there she was." He reached down to draw the covers back and expose the pillow. "Maybe you can spot some hair on the pillow…" his voice died away as both he and Kiyone just stared at the figure in the bed in disbelief.

The creature that was Ryoko yawned, exposing he long pointy canine teeth. She muttered in her sleep and rolled on her front to escape the light that was sneaking in beneath the drawn curtains. The only noise in the room was Ryoko's snoring.

_Next: A Chance Meeting_


	12. A Chance Meeting

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker **_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twelve: A Chance Meeting_

"I don't believe it," Kiyone whispered. "Ryoko! She's alive!"

Tenchi could only shiver and make strange unintelligible noises. "Duh-uh-whu-uh…"

Kiyone bent down to inspect the sleeping woman. Ryoko was just as Tenchi described her. Her onyx hair had turned into a cyan-white fright wig of spiky tangles. The dressing gown she was wearing _did_ resemble a Japanese kimono. Lifting an eyelid, Kiyone jumped back when she discovered a golden yellow pupil. Ryoko appeared at least a decade older than her twenty years should indicate, but that could be the bad lighting. And as for Ryoko's teeth… well, the gums could have receded to make her canines appear longer, right?

The teal-haired doctor shook her head. "This," she stammered, "This is impossible. Someone must be playing an elaborate hoax…" Her voice trailed away. The odds of that being true seemed no more likely than the tale that Tenchi told her that morning. She turned her head to address the shivering Tenchi. "I'm going to examine her."

Tenchi nodded, relived to find an excuse to leave the room. He felt like such a coward, leaving Kiyone to face the creature that was Ryoko alone, but after last night staying in that room was a test of endurance.

Meanwhile, Doctor K. T. von Washu was engaged in research at the National Archives. "Hm," the short scientist mused. "Nope, that one's destruction is well documented." Von Washu sighed and gazed around the chamber. Around her were tables for scholars to read texts so ancient and valuable that they were not allowed out of the building. At this early hour there was only one other person in the room. A priest in a purple robe and a green cloak was perusing a series of birth records from centuries ago.

Von Washu's emerald eyes narrowed as she studied the man. He wore a dark violet robe that was bisected by a thick purple stripe down the front. A thin three-pronged broach at his collarbone broke the stripe. The broad shouldered man was clean-shaven, but his sideburns were so long they drooped down to his shoulders like two ponytails. He gripped the records with hands clad in white kidskin gloves. His pale skin combined with his snow white hair gave him a washed out, almost cadaverous appearance.

"Yes?" He asked her with a sinister yet seductive voice. "May I help you?" Hideous yellow eyes peered over the dark, round-lensed pince-nez perched on the bridge of his nose. The pupils of his yellow eyes appeared to be blood red, but the most disturbing element of them was the fact that they did not appear to be round, but seemed to be vertical slits like those of a snake.

"What?" von Washu jerked in her chair. "Oh sorry," she waved in embarrassment. "I was just admiring what beautiful eyes you've got."

"My eyes?" the stranger mused to himself. "I didn't know anyone could see my eyes. The mental shroud that I've pulled over everyone's perceptions should be enough to make my eyes appear normal, and yet…" His hideous eyes focused on von Washu. "You can see them quite clearly, can't you?"

"I _thought_ it was hard to think in here," von Washu smirked. "I've only just begun the day's research and yet I feel as if I've been at it all night. You're projecting a hypnotonic field around yourself because you like your privacy, aren't you?"

The green-cloaked stranger laughed. "You can not only see me as I really am, but you can hear what I'm really saying as well! My my, you _are_ a woman to keep an eye on, aren't you? I really have to hand it to you, Miss…"

"Doctor," von Washu corrected.

"_Doctor_," the stranger corrected himself. "My apologies. This is such a strange time to be living in. Tell me, what have you earned your doctorate in?"

"Guess," von Washu folded her arms cheekily.

"Hm," the stranger put a white-gloved hand to his chin in thought. "Let's see. Medieval Metaphysics, Medicine, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Theology, Philosophy, History, Physics… Am I missing one?"

"You forgot 'Gynecology,'" von Washu added.

"Of course," the stranger snapped his fingers. "How stupid of me. You must be the internationally famous Doctor Von Washu."

"In the flesh," she smiled proudly. "And you seem to have the advantage of me sir."

"Count," the man corrected. "Oh my, and I intended to remain anonymous too. Still, I guessed your name, Doctor. Can you guess mine?"

"Hm," von Washu put her hand to her chin. "Any clues?"

"Isn't my title enough?" the sinister man teased.

"Touché," the little genius wagged her finger. "I never could resist a challenge."

"I know what you mean," the Count's smile didn't seem to reach his eyes. "The question is, can you resist _me_?"

"Excuse me?" von Washu raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Doctor von Washu," the Count rose from his chair to an intimidating height. "It has been simply ages since I have met anyone with such an indomitable will, let alone a will wrapped in such a lovely package. As a scientist, would you be willing to participate in a little experiment?"

"Certainly," von Washu stood up and put her hands on her hips. The two stepped away from their tables and faced each other.

"I'm curious to see just how powerful your will is," the Count said with a dangerous smile. "Doctor, come to me."

Von Washu just laughed. "Come on, your lordship, you can do better than that. Huh?" Her laughter died when she met his gaze.

"Doctor von Washu," the Count said in a silky voice. "I can feel your will working against mine. You truly are a magnificent specimen."

The little redhead just grit her teeth and stared into the stranger's eyes. A bead of sweat appeared at the side of her forehead.

"Now Doctor," the stranger commanded. "_Walk towards me_."

Von Washu's scowl deepened, and her body twitched. She balled her hands into fists and pressed them to her sides.

"I'm impressed, Doctor," the Count nodded. "Not everyone is capable of refusing me."

"Phew," the mad doctor let out a breath. "Not bad," she smirked. It's been years since I've encountered such a powerful intellect. Still, one good experiment deserves another. You don't mind do you?"

"Of course not," the Count bowed graciously. "I think that all of my future brides should be able to take the initiative."

"Why you cheeky devil!" von Washu teased. "You really _do_ want me in your power!" Suddenly the little redhead was at the stranger's side, poking him with her elbow. "You plan to take me to one of those clubs, don't you?"

"Excuse me?" the Count raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"There you will do unspeakable things to my beautiful body!" Von Washu put her hands over her cheeks melodramatically.

The Count's yellow eyes became alert. "You really _are_ quite extraordinary…"

At that moment, back at Tenchi's flat, Kiyone left the bedroom to talk to Tenchi. "It's remarkable," the athletic alienist told him, "That's Ryoko, all right. The birthmark on her wrist confirms it. I thought maybe a deranged relative was pulling a prank on you. If her hair has been dyed, it's a good job, 'cause the color goes right down to the roots. I can't wake her up. It's like she's been drugged or something. I'm going to go back to the hospital and fetch an ambulance to pick her up. You stay with her until I get back."

"What?" cried the incredulous boy, "Stay? With her?"

"We can't risk leaving her alone," Kiyone insisted. "The last time that happened, she was pronounced dead and buried alive. Just keep an eye on her 'till I get back."

"Okay," Tenchi nodded, steeling his courage. "I must have breathed in some strange fumes back at the university. Who knows what experiments they were doing in that building? I must have been acting as delirious as poor Ryoko."

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Tenchi," Kiyone assured him as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Trust me. There's got to be a logical explanation for all this, but right now our first concern is Ryoko. We don't want to lose her again."

"You're right, Kiyone," Tenchi nodded, more like his dependable and resolute self. "I just need some food, drink, and sleep to set my head straight, but it can wait until Ryoko is safely in your care."

"Okay, Tenchi," Kiyone nodded. "I'll be back soon. Make yourself something to eat in the meantime. I shouldn't be long." With that, the teal haired doctor left, leaving the young man alone in the apartment with Ryoko.

Back at the London Archives, von Washu continued to tease the Count. "So your lordship, are you willing to be my guinea pig?" She dared him as she walked back to her table.

"Why not?" the Count shrugged. "As you said 'One good experiment deserves another.'"

"I was hoping you'd say that," the little redhead reached into her carpetbag. "Here, take a look at this." The petite scientist pulled out a large ornate crucifix and held it out to the Count. "Whad'ya think? It cost me a pretty penny I'll tell you that. Take a look at the craftsmanship! Silver inlaid with gold with garnets on the ends. I tell 'ya this thing is worth a king's ransom!"

The reaction from the Count was dramatic. He scowled in fear and disgust and took a step away from the little woman. The red pupils of his yellow eyes were looked on the ornate cross and he bared his teeth to reveal that his canines were long and sharp as a cat's teeth. He trembled in seething rage as his arm involuntarily drew his green cape before him in a protective gesture.

"Are you all right, your lordship?" Washu's green eyes sparkled. "You don't seem well." She took a step towards the Count who retreated a pace backwards. "Here, let me take a look at you. I've been meaning to research faith healing for the longest time!" She held out the cross as if it was a traffic sign.

The little redhead advanced on the Count who continued to back up and put a hand out in a halting gesture. The hand that held his cape seemed to be clutching at his stomach and he doubled over in pain. He seemed to be attempting to speak, but only quiet groans or growls could be heard and only then if one was really listening. Finally he gritted his teeth and managed to snarl "Enough!"

"I thought so!" von Washu crowed. "If you don't mind my saying so, you are about as subtle as a shipwreck, my lord!"

The Count raised his arms causing his green cloak to open like a pair of wings as he soared backwards towards the exit. Once out of the genius' immediate proximity, he regained his composure and resumed his arrogant confidence. "Oh my, oh my," he clucked in a quiet and dangerous voice. "I'll really have to keep an eye on you, Doctor. As long as you focus your will into that symbol of faith, you have me at a disadvantage. Let's see if _this_ will distract you." Like a stage magician, he snapped his fingers and a copy of the _London Times_ appeared in his hand. "Here is some reading material," he said as he tossed the paper to the table nearest von Washu. "I think you'll find the headline quite interesting."

"Huh?" von Washu glanced down to look at the front page. "Wagh!" The little scientist grabbed the newspaper with both hands. "The Mad Science Building! It's ruined! What happened to it?"

"Tsk, tsk," the Count smirked. "Bad luck, Doctor. Until we meet again…" The Count glided backwards out the door as every chair in the room flew threw the air to impact against von Washu.

"Eeyah!" the redhead cried. "Come back here!" She roared in futile rage.

_Next: The Glove Has Been Thrown_


	13. The Glove Is Thrown

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirteen: The Glove Is Thrown_

Later, Sasami Morris answered the door to Ayeka Murray's fashionable townhouse. "Doctor von Washu!" the girl exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you read the paper?" the little genius asked as she brushed past the prepubescent housemaid.

"Er um, no," Sasami answered as she trundled behind the redhead's strides. "I've um, got my duties and all and don't have a lot of time…"

"Miss Ayeka!" von Washu called as she entered the parlor. "Are you there?"

"Yes, Doctor?" Ayeka's aristocratic voice gave nothing away.

"Have you read the morning paper?" the genius brandished the day's copy of _The London Times_ as if it was a piece of evidence to incriminate a murderer. "The Mad Science building at the university burned down last night."

"Oh my goodness," the heiress exclaimed. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Nobody that could be identified," Washu said cagily, remembering the reanimation projects that were due that week. The cadavers that her students would be cobbling together would make it impossible for investigators to determine if anyone actually died unless someone turned up missing. "Still, don't you think it's a coincidence?"

"What is?"

"That the Mad Science building burned down shortly after I identified Ryoko's killer as a vampire," Washu replied grimly. "It's possible that the vampire is sending me a message not to interfere!"

"Oh my! How unpleasant!" Ayeka put her hand to her mouth. "What will you do, Doctor von Washu? You aren't abandoning us, I hope?"

"Not on your life!" Washu retorted. "The glove has been thrown and I accept the challenge. If this vampire wants to play rough, he's playing with the wrong genius!"

"How do you know it's a 'he', Doctor von Washu?" Sasami asked.

"Because I just met him in the London Archives!" Washu responded. "He tried to put the whammy on me, but I showed him! Crosses work on him after all!"

"What do we do, Doctor?" Ayeka asked, hovering on the doctor's every word.

"It's time to fight fire with fire!" Washu raised her fist dramatically at the ceiling. "If the supernatural is going to attack us, then the supernatural is what we are going to use to fight back!"

"What do you mean?" Ayeka put her hand to her chest.

"I'm going to create a golem!" Washu replied. "Two to be exact! There are at least two vampires on their team, we've got to have an equal advantage."

"Huh?" Ayeka and Sasami looked at each other.

Meantime, halfway across town, a new patient was admitted to the Bethlem Royal Hospital. "Her name is Ryoko Westerna," Kiyone told the orderly pushing the gurney. "We can place her in the room next to Mihoshi's. But right now let's get her prepped for surgery. I'm going to be giving her my personal attention."

"Um, do you know her?" the orderly couldn't help but notice that the woman on the gurney had wild cyan-white hair. He glanced at the teal-haired Kiyone, and back at Ryoko.

"Yes, she's a friend," Kiyone sighed. "I don't know what's happened to her but she's very weak. We've got to act fast if we're going to save her life."

"No offense," said the nameless orderly that resembled Captain Nobeyama from episodes four, seven, and thirteen of _Tenchi Muyo Ryo-ohki OVA_, "but how do we know she's alive now? She doesn't seem to be breathing."

"We already made the mistake of burying her once dammit!" Kiyone snarled. "This time I'm going to be extra careful! We won't release the body for burial until she's putrefying!"

"Yes, Doctor," the orderly gulped.

Kiyone and the orderly pushed Ryoko's still form into the operating theatre where Mihoshi and a trio of nurses waited anxiously. "All right, get the donor ready," Kiyone commanded as she washed her hands and put on a surgical smok and mask.

"What's going on, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked her friend. "Oh my! Is that Ryoko? What's happened to her?"

Kiyone explained while she prepped her instruments. "According to Doctor von Washu, Ryoko has lost a great deal of blood. She's in danger of death by anemia. We're going to give her a blood transfusion before it's too late."

"Oh my!" Mihoshi exclaimed while the nurses laid the blonde down on an operating table and rolled up her sleeve. "Where are we going to get the blood?"

"From you, Mihoshi," Doctor Kiyone Seward replied. "According to our tests, your blood is the most compatible with Ryoko's."

Mihoshi frowned, deep in thought. "But, how are you going to get the blood out? I don't have a wound…" Her blue eyes bulged in fear as she saw Kiyone approaching her with a long needle attached to a slender rubber tube. "Yeagh!" The pointy-eared woman cried as she jumped off of the table.

"Mihoshi? What are you doing?" Kiyone demanded as she removed her surgical mask. "If we don't act fast, we will lose Ryoko, _again_!"

"That needle looks big!" shivered the frightened inmate.

"It won't hurt that much, honest," Kiyone put a hand on Mihoshi's shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry that we're not using ether but I don't think that Ryoko's system can take any anesthetic right now. Anything that we put into your blood stream will be put into hers."

"So… this will save Ryoko's life?" Mihoshi looked down at Ryoko's comatose form.

"Yes, Mihoshi," Kiyone nodded. "According to Doctor von Washu, this is the only thing that will save Ryoko's life. I'm sorry Mihoshi. There isn't enough time to find another donor. We just need a little blood trust me."

"Okay… I…" Mihoshi's words stopped as the blonde's eyes bulged in fear and she stared out into space.

"Mihoshi?" Kiyone waved her hand in front of the demented damsel. "Are you alright?"

Mihoshi couldn't hear her. She could, however, hear the seductive and sinister voice of Count Kagato saying: "No need to fret my dear. I only need just a little blood. Trust me." Instead of Kiyone, she saw the pale face of Kagato and his inhuman yellow eyes with red pupils. He grinned and his canine teeth seemed to get longer and sharper.

To her credit, Mihoshi didn't run or fight or struggle. She _did_, however, scream. And she didn't stop screaming even when Kiyone and the orderly strapped her down and gagged her.

Back at Ayeka Murray's townhouse, the purple-haired heiress was at the nook where she kept the private phone that connected her to Kiyone's office at the hospital. "What? Ryoko's alive? That's impossible!" Ayeka exclaimed into the mouthpiece. Her hand was trembling so much she could hardly hold the earpiece to her ear.

"Yes," said Tenchi's voice on the other end of the telephone line. "She's alive. I hope that you were listening to me when I told you sit down."

"I can't believe it!" Ayeka's knees buckled beneath her and she grabbed a hold of the table with her free hand. Her other hand still held the earpiece to her ear for she did not want to miss a word.

"I know," Tenchi agreed. "When I saw her in my room last night I thought she was a ghost! Kiyone is giving her a blood transfusion now. I know it's too early to get our hopes up. She's not out of the woods yet!"

Ayeka was gritting her teeth and struggling to her feet. "I must not faint. I must not faint," she thought to herself. Suddenly a burst of adrenaline gave the heiress the stamina of a professional prizefighter. "Wait a minute!" she cried into the mouthpiece. "What do you mean 'when you saw her in your room last night'?"

"It's not what you think, Miss Ayeka," Tenchi groaned. "She was unconscious. Dead to the world." Tenchi's memory didn't exactly agree with that report, but he refused to believe that his ordeal last night was completely real. It couldn't be. "Come over to the hospital and you can see for yourself."

"What's going on?" von Washu asked the heiress.

"Yaah!" Ayeka nearly jumped out of her skin. "Doctor von Washu!" She turned to face the diminutive scientist that had snuck up behind her. "You scared me! It's Ryoko! She's alive! She's at the hospital. I've got to go see her!"

"I'll go with you," von Washu crossed her arms. "I want to examine her for myself."

In the operating room at Bethlem, Kiyone inserted the needle into Ryoko's arm. "Alright. I've checked it for air bubbles. Let's hope that this helps more than it hurts." The nurses and the orderly were quiet, allowing Mihoshi's muffled cries to be audible. Kiyone held Ryoko's hand. "Come on, Ryoko," Kiyone prayed. "Come back to us."

Everyone gasped and stepped back when Ryoko's eyes snapped open to reveal golden irises. "Well," Ryoko smirked. "That's certainly a pick-me-up!" She squinted and frowned as she put an arm before her eyes to shield herself from the glaring lights of the operating theatre. "Hey, what's with all the bright lights? What's going on, anyway?"

Kiyone lost all of her professional demeanor. "Ryoko! You're alive!"

"Why yes," the prostrate woman said as she sat up. "So I am. What's going on?" she asked again while looking at the surgical staff and equipment. "What is this place?"

Kiyone removed her surgical mask to smile at Ryoko. "Now don't move, Ryoko. You're still very weak. You're at the hospital where I work, and we are giving you a blood transfusion. I didn't expect it to revive you so quickly!"

"A blood transfusion?" Ryoko scratched her head. "Where are you getting the blood? Ooh!" She noticed the tube attached to her arm. "Oh!" Her eyes followed the tube to the other table.

Strapped to the second table was the teary-eyed panicked form of Mihoshi. The other end of the rubber tube was attached to her arm.

"Yaah!" the cyan-haired vixen's face contorted into a parody of fear and revulsion. "Erg," Her left eye twitched and she gritted her teeth, exposing the long sharp canines that made one of the nurses faint. "Eh!" Ryoko made gasping and choking noises as her head slowly turned to face Kiyone. "Y-you're giving me _Mihoshi_'s blood?"

"Um yes," a bead of sweat appeared at Kiyone's temple. "It's the most compatible. There's less chance of you having an allergic reaction."

"_Mihoshi's blood_?" Ryoko's face contorted as if it was made of rubber. "You're giving me _Mihoshi_'s crazy blood? What are you, _nuts_? I'll go as crazy as her!"

"It's not like that," Kiyone assured her. "Mihoshi's problem is strictly mental, physically she's…"

"Get away from me!" Ryoko snarled. Before Kiyone's astonished eyes, Ryoko vanished into thin air.

_Next: The Monster Woman_


	14. The Monster Woman

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Fourteen: The Monster Woman_

"I tell you, Ryoko just vanished right before my eyes!" Kiyone insisted.

"But Kiyone, that's impossible!" said Tenchi.

"I know, and worse yet, I work in a mental hospital!" Kiyone moaned. "What can I do? If I tell anyone, I'll lose my medical license! And Ryoko is loose somewhere! She could die all over again! We've got to find her!" Kiyone put her arms around Tenchi and sobbed quietly on his shoulder.

"Hey, Kiyone, you have visitors!" Mihoshi announced as she opened the door to Kiyone's office and entered. Ayeka Murray, Doctor von Washu, and Sasami Morris followed. Sasami was carrying her new rabbit/feline hybrid pet Ryo-ohki in her arms. When Ayeka saw Kiyone and Tenchi with their arms around each other, her eyes bulged and her lovely face contorted in a grimace and she made a choking noise like "Eek-urg-guh!"

Tenchi and Kiyone gasped at being caught in a non-British display of emotion, and then blushed furiously at the discovery of their improper physical contact. Each of them hopped back a step away from each other. Kiyone pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket to dry her eyes.

"Ah!" Ayeka's face softened and her mouth dropped open when she saw tears on Kiyone's cheeks. "Oh no…!" she put her hand to her mouth and turned away, only look back over her shoulder and ask. "Is it… Ryoko?"

"She's gone…" Kiyone nodded. "I've lost her."

"No! No!" Now it was Ayeka's turn for hysterics. "I can't believe this! Ryoko can't be dead again! I never got to say goodbye! It's not fair!"

"No, you don't understand," Kiyone's voice went into 'doctor mode.' "She's gone. As in I don't know where she is."

"What?" Ayeka turned to Kiyone to give her the full force of her ire. "You've _lost_ her? As in she's somewhere in this mess of loonies and whackjobs? How could you?"

"You don't understand!" Kiyone insisted. "She disappeared right before my eyes!"

"What do you mean 'right before your eyes'?" Ayeka raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I mean that one second she was there and next she was gone!" Kiyone gestured with her hands. "Poof! Gone. The room was brightly lit. She was nowhere near a door or anything to hide behind. She just… disappeared! It was impossible!"

"That's what I said last night," Tenchi muttered.

"What was that?" Ayeka's voice became alert.

"Now wait a minute, it's not what you think!" Tenchi held out a hand in a 'stopping gesture'. "I went down to the university and had visions of Ryoko flying and walking through walls," he explained. "I must have breathed in some strange fumes, for I imagined that Ryoko had come back from the dead to haunt me. Pretty silly, huh?"

"Really?" Washu put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "And what were you doing at the university so late at night?"

The young solicitor scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "Oh um, I was just looking for you!" he exclaimed. "Just wondered if you had any theories, you know…"

"Hmm," Washu seemed unconvinced. "You wouldn't know anything about the fire that destroyed the Mad Science building by any chance?"

Tenchi skipped back a step nervously and nearly collided with Kiyone. "Nope!" he guiltily insisted. "Wouldn't know a thing! That's right, isn't it Kiyone?"

"Tenchi," Kiyone put her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you ought to tell them the truth."

With that, the stiff-upper-lip product of Victorian England sighed heavily as tears melodramatically streamed down his cheeks.

When Tenchi had finished telling his tale of terror, everyone was quiet. Everyone but Doctor von Washu, that is, who rose from her seat to make a chilling announcement. "Based on what you've told me, I have no choice but to conclude that Ryoko Westenra is…" she paused dramatically, "nosferatu!"

"She's Italian?" Mihoshi blinked. "But I thought her father was English and her mother was Japanese!"

"No, you fool, she's one of the undead!" Washu stamped her foot as she turned to face the subject of her ire. "She's a vampire, get it? She's a blood drinking, flesh eating ghoul!"

"No! No! Not Ryoko!" Sasami shook her head as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I'm afraid so," Washu crossed her arms and bowed her head. "I'm afraid she is lost to us."

"No! Not Ryoko! I prayed to Saint Tsunami to protect her soul! She couldn't be a monster! She just couldn't be!"

"Sasami," Washu's put her arms around the distraught child and consoled her. "I know that it's rough, but you have to understand. That isn't Ryoko anymore. The Ryoko you know died of exsanguination four nights ago. That creature out there is an imposter that has taken her form. Ryoko's soul is up in heaven. There's nothing in her shell but a nameless demon from the pit."

"B-but Doctor von Washu," a teary eyed Sasami insisted, "how do you know that Ryoko's soul isn't trapped in her body along with the demon? How do you know that she isn't still alive?"

Washu shook her head sadly. "Please, Sasami. We have two eyewitnesses of her unearthly abilities. She flies, she walks through walls, she doesn't have a reflection…"

"But she does have a reflection!" Sasami corrected.

"What?" the red-haired scientist asked.

"Tenchi said that Ryoko stopped to admire her reflection when she was chasing him in the university, remember?" the underage domestic pointed out. "That's how he got away, right?"

(Begin Flashback)

"_I'm in big trouble!" Tenchi exclaimed as he ducked around a corner. "She's alive again!"_

_Ryoko flew down the corridor until a large full-length mirror that had been left in the hall distracted her. She smiled at her reflection, as cute as a ten-year-old girl until she noticed that she was covered in ash and soot. "Ooh! Look at me!" she exclaimed. "My hair is a mess!" Frantically she made little noises as she brushed the ash from her clothes and hair. "Oh! Oh!"_

_By now the terrified lawyer was feeling faint. "Heh-heh!" he laughed nervously as he snuck down a flight of stairs "Thank gawd!"_

(End Flashback)

"Why… you're right!" Washu blinked. She turned to Tenchi. "Is that true? Did she actually have a reflection?"

"Uh, sure, I guess…" the young solicitor scratched the side of his head. "She was primping and dusting herself off. I assumed that she was looking at her reflection…"

"Vampires don't have reflections," Washu seemed to be talking to herself. "Many vampires can't stand the sight of a mirror any more than the sight of a holy symbol. If Ryoko can actually cast an image…" she jumped out of her chair and hit her palm with her fist. "…that means that it may still be possible to save her! We've got to find her as soon as possible!"

"Hooray!" Sasami and Mihoshi cheered.

"Don't get too excited," Washu said as she started pacing back and forth. "If she has supernatural powers, then there's a formless demon in there too, one that grows stronger with every act of wickedness! If the demon takes over, we will lose Ryoko forever! We've got to catch her before she does something really awful, like kills someone!"

"Huh!" Ayeka, Sasami, and Mihoshi inhaled.

"But how _do_ we catch her, Doctor von Washu?" Tenchi asked. "If Ryoko really can disappear and go through walls, she could be anywhere! We've got to find her first."

"Leave that to me," Washu replied. "All we need is the right bait."

Tenchi Harker noticed that Washu was watching him with a predatory eye and gulped.

By nightfall, Tenchi had moved some of his things into a room at the hospital that Kiyone had thoughtfully provided for him. He wasn't in the asylum; he was living in the house that Kiyone and other staff used when their duties would keep them from going home. His window had a nice view of the grounds. At night it looked more like a forest than a park.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked Doctor von Washu.

"Positive," the redhead nodded. "Each time Ryoko has manifested herself, she came to you. It makes sense that she would again."

"N-not that I b-believe in vampires…" Tenchi stammered, then paused as he caught Washu's knowing smirk, "…what if she um… gets me?"

"Then you're dead as a dodo," Washu said flatly, "but don't worry. Ayeka is armed with holy water, a pistol, and her grandfather's cavalry saber. Mihoshi has a shotgun. Sasami has garlic, a crucifix, and a bible. We won't let anything happen to you."

"The cross wasn't very effective against her last time," Tenchi grumbled.

"I'll bet the her human soul is protecting her demonic half from harm," Washu stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Either that, or she has completely different metaphysical weaknesses. You say that you managed to sever her hand with a broom, right?"

"Yeah, but that didn't mean anything," Tenchi shrugged. "It just grew back."

"I'm going to talk to Ayeka and Sasami," Washu decided. "As her housemates, they would know her better than anyone. Before I go, remember the plan, okay?"

"Yes," Tenchi moaned. "I'll remember the plan," he sighed.

At midnight, the young man opened the doors to the balcony and stepped out. "I feel ridiculous," he sighed. He cleared his throat and spoke in a stage voice. "Ryoko… Ryoko… where for art thou, Ryoko?"

"Gawd, that was stupid," he muttered to himself. "Even if Ryoko was a vampire who was obsessed enough to stalk me from beyond the grave, she'd have to be an idiot to fall for that…"

"Tenchi…" Ryoko's ghostly voice echoed in his head.

"Wha?" Tenchi leaped backwards and looked around him, suddenly alert.

"Tenchi…" Ryoko's disembodied voice called.

Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and all he could hear was his own ragged breathing and the blood pounding in his ears. With eyes as big as saucers, he looked around the grounds and then turned back to look at his room.

"Hello there!" said Ryoko's disembodied head that poked through the wall as a feminine hand joined it to wave.

"Yah! Ryoko, it's you!" he cried as he staggered backwards and nearly fell off the balcony.

"Oh be careful, honey," Ryoko's voice whispered to him in his ear as two arms encircled his torso to steady him. "You don't want to fall, you'll hurt yourself."

"Wha?" Tenchi looked unbelievably at the wall that was now totally Ryokoless. The voluptuous vampire now had her arms around him and she pulled her legs over the railing to stand beside him.

"Tenchi," Ryoko whispered huskily as her golden eyes burned a hole into his soul. "I've had the strangest dreams…" her body rubbed up against his as she unfastened her collar to reveal her alabaster neck and shoulders. "I need you Tenchi, can't you see how much I need you…"

"Er, but Ryoko…" he stammered. "You're um… dead…"

"I'm not dead," she whispered seductively. "I'm _un_dead."

"No, I can't do this," the solicitor shook his head to break the spell as he pushed the ravishing Ryoko away. "I'm British."

"So are these!" the vampiric vixen exclaimed as she lowered her bodice and hugged her own torso to make her ghostly white breasts appear as two full moons in the darkness.

Tenchi could only stare at the fullness of her bosom and laugh hysterically.

"Hold me Tenchi," Ryoko murmured as she hugged him tightly and mercifully obscured her magnificent chest. "I'm ever so cold…" she smiled exposing her sharp canine fangs and put her lips on Tenchi's throat…

_Next: Love at First Bite_


	15. Love At First Bite

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Fifteen: Love at First Bite_

"Soon we will be together, my love," Ryoko murmured as she put her lips to Tenchi's neck.

Tenchi was holding his breath. Ryoko's embrace made his entire body feel like it was on fire. He could feel her sharp fangs teasing his neck without actually piercing his flesh. Goosebumps appeared as his skin reacted to the ticklish sensation. Ryoko's arms pulled his torso against her soft, silky chest, causing the young man's eyes to roll back as his knees collapsed under him.

Ryoko held him steady and stopped teasing his neck to kiss him on the lips. "Tenchi…" she whispered huskily into his ear. "I've come back from the dead to be with you… Soon nothing will keep us apart ever again…"

Tenchi tried to speak, but his lips didn't seem to be working properly, and his voice wasn't cooperating at all. All he could do was make strange gasping noises and hyperventilate. Ryoko put a finger to his lips.

"Shh, shh, shh…" she whispered while shaking her head. "Don't speak, Tenchi. There's nothing to say. Just give yourself to me, for now and forever."

Tenchi has a hard time hearing her over the pounding of his heart. "F-forever?" he stammered.

"Forever," she cooed as her forefinger made a figure eight on his chest. "Look into my eyes, Tenchi. Tell me what you see."

Remembering von Washu's tale about the stranger that tried to hypnotize her at the London archives, Tenchi forced his eyes away. "I think I'm going to pass on that…" he quipped lamely.

"Tenchi, look at me," Ryoko commanded.

"Uh, no thank you," he said in a pitch higher than he wanted.

"C'mon Tenchi, look at me!" with one arm around the young solicitor, the woman who had been Ryoko seized his chin and pivoted his head around to place his nose less than an inch from hers. "You want this," she whispered seductively, suddenly becoming alluring and unearthly again. "You want this more than you've wanted anything in your life. I can give you immortality, a life without restraint, an existence without ever having to say 'please' or 'thank you', a life where you can fulfill your most shameful desires without any guilt. What do you say, Tenchi?"

"Er, no thank you, I'd like to go now please," the boy said in a meek voice.

"Boy, what a stick in the mud," Ryoko complained as she took a step back from him. "Looks like I got to you just in time." She hugged him tightly and whispered into his ear again. "Don't speak Tenchi, leave everything to me." Her voice gained volume as Tenchi started squirming to get free of her grip. "Hey Tenchi, you really need some lessons on making a girl feel appreciated," Ryoko grumbled as his struggles became frantic.

"C'mon, Tenchi," the lawyer thought silently. "Get free! You should have more upper-body strength than her! Just push yourself away!" During his struggles he placed his hands on her chest and pushed away with all his might… for almost an entire second until he realized that his hands were squeezing Ryoko's barely concealed bosom. A strange high-pitched groaning sound escaped his throat as his face reddened and his limbs became rubber.

"All right!" Ryoko exclaimed. "That's the spirit, Tenchi!" She pressed herself closely to speak softly into his ear. "See how much fun you can have when you don't know right from wrong?"

"Ryoko, I…"

"Soon we will both be creatures of the night, immortal and free to do whatever we want!" she continued without waiting for his answer. "Can you imagine the two of us flying through the air, side by side?"

"Really I…"

"We'll be stars in the sky together!" she cheered.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" the boy screamed as Ryoko exposed her long sharp fangs. "I'm too young to die!"

Crack! Suddenly Ryoko was knocked over the side of the balcony as a croquet mallet hit the side of her head. Her arms flailed as she tumbled to the ground below "Ow!" she growled as she hit the ground and rubbed her throbbing cranium. "What was that for?"

"Ayeka it's you!" Tenchi cried.

"Tenchi, get inside, quick!" the purple-haired heiress grabbed his hand and pulled him back into his room. "We've got to… Ah!"

When they entered the room, they saw an angry Ryoko between them and the hallway. "So, Ayeka," Ryoko challenged, her greenish white hair wild and her golden eyes flashing, "You think you can just waltz in here and steal my Tenchi?"

"Ryoko… you…" Ayeka stopped to take in the full change that had happened to her friend. The croquet mallet fell from her lifeless fingers. "What happened to you?" The heiress pointed her finger at the cyan-haired vampire. "Is there any humanity left in you?" she asked her. "Or are you just a monster?"

"Monster?" Ryoko growled, her sinister and beautiful face contorting into a ferocious caricature of anger. "What did you say?"

"Oh my, I…" Ayeka's hand shook as she beheld the creature that was Ryoko. "I… I… I beg your pardon…"

"That's right," smirked the vampire. "You're hunting _big_ game now, too big for you!"

"Oh… oh my…" Ayeka stammered, "my… my… _My necklace_!" she suddenly shouted.

"What?" Ryoko was taken aback the heiress' sudden rage.

"Tenchi!" Ayeka seethed. "What is that vile creature doing with the crucifix I gave you?"

"What do you… oh," Tenchi's gaze followed Ayeka's outstretched arm pointing to the little silver cross dangling on a slender chain around Ryoko's neck.

"That's the cross I gave you to protect you from vampires!" she snarled accusingly at Tenchi. "What is _she_ doing _wearing_ it?"

"I told you the cross did no good," Tenchi insisted. "She just took it away from me and started wearing it!"

"That… necklace belonged to my mother!" Ayeka fumed. "I gave to you because I trusted you with it! I would _never_ give it to anyone else! You know that!"

Ryoko blinked in confusion, then guffawed obnoxiously. "A ha ha ha! Looks like your gift didn't mean as much to him as you thought it did!"

"You!" Ayeka drew the cavalry saber from the scabbard on her belt. "You _are_ a demon aren't you? Trying to tempt my Tenchi to sin! Trying to cheapen anything that's holy and decent!"

"The only thing that's holey around here is the idea that Tenchi is all yours!" Ryoko teased. "And besides, why should he grow old with a spoiled brat like you when he can exist forever with me?"

"What?" gasped a horrified Ayeka.

"Tenchi and I took a vow to travel the world together and drink from the blood of the living, haven't we?"

"Huh?" Tenchi gasped. "What vow?"

"Not only that, but we're going to fly over London and look at the city lights together," Ryoko smirked. "Naked."

"N-n-naked?" stammered a horrified Ayeka. Suddenly her face darkened and her brow furrowed. "Naked?" The girl took up a fighting stance and held onto the sword with both hands like a samurai warrior. "NAKED! We'll see about that! Yeahh!" She swung the sword at Ryoko, but the vampire just laughed and jumped out the door into the hall.

"Ha-ha!" Ryoko mocked. "Catch me if you dare!"

"You!" Ayeka snarled as she chased the dodging demon into the corridor. "You aren't Ryoko! I won't have a monster woman like you desecrating her memory!" Ayeka continued to pursue the fleeing phantom that was Ryoko, but the seductive succubus evaded her blows by leaping, levitating and at times even passing right through solid objects.

Tenchi stumbled after them, intent on protecting Ayeka when Ryoko inevitably tired of the game and turned the tables on the heiress. He had to admit that for a weak and frail woman, Ayeka was showing incredible courage in the face of the supernatural. Even when Ryoko vanished before her eyes, Ayeka simply turned to slice at where Ryoko had reappeared behind her. He could see that even Ryoko was impressed with the heiress' bravery and determination.

Eventually Ayeka chased Ryoko into a large parlor. "I've got you now!" Ayeka cried as the smirking seductress backed into a corner. "Release Ryoko from her torment you demon! Hiyah…!" Ryoko backed up, passing through the solid wall as if it wasn't there. It was as if she had backed into a vertical pool of water. Ayeka held the sword above her head and crashed into the wall, tumbling to the floor and knocking pictures from their hooks. "Ah!" she cried. "Owww," she moaned as she clutched her forehead in pain.

Ryoko's laughing face poked out of the wall. "Hahahaha! Is that anyway for the heiress of the Jurai Company to act? I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you! Shocked!"

"You!" Ayeka rubbed her head and picked herself up off the floor. "You won't get away with this!" she threatened as she gave her saber a few test swings to emphasize her statement.

"I don't think you fully comprehend the situation you're in," Ryoko smiled with ice in her voice. "Here, allow me to demonstrate…" She made a flicking gesture with her hand and Ayeka's sword was wrenched from the heiress' grasp and clattered against the far wall behind her.

"What the?" Ayeka gasped.

"Nothing will stop me from claiming my Tenchi," Ryoko said with murderous calm. "Especially not a spoiled little rich girl like you."

Ayeka drew her pistol and held it with both hands in front of her. "Don't come any closer!" she ordered while taking a step back. Her shaking hands managed to aim the pistol directly at Ryoko's heart. "Not even _I_ could miss at this range! Don't force me to destroy you! If there's a sliver of Ryoko left inside that corpse you know that I'll die before I let you get Tenchi!"

Ryoko just shrugged and took a step forward. "Looks like you'll have to die then," she quipped.

Ayeka's mouth opened in horror, then the purple haired heiress gritted her teeth and fired. The report of the pistol sounded like a thunderbolt inside the house. One explosive gunshot after another was fired, until the room smothered in silence. Only the clicking of the hammer of the pistol hitting the empty chambers could be heard.

"I don't believe it, you witch!" Ryoko gasped indignantly. "You actually shot me! Why you little traitor!"

Ayeka's eyes widened in fear. "I… I… I…" she stammered as she backed away, dropping the useless gun.

"You shot me like I was a rodent in the pantry!" Ryoko snarled. As she moved away from the wall, Ayeka could see the holes in wall where the bullets had passed through Ryoko's body. "I can't believe you!" Ryoko shook her head incredulously.

"Hey, what do you want out of me, blood?" Ayeka argued, then gulped in fear at the _faux pas_ she had just made.

"Hm," Ryoko snorted. "Now that you mention it, that's not such a bad idea." She opened her mouth to reveal her sharp canine teeth and spread her arms as if to embrace the terrified heiress.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi cried from where he had been petrified by the doorway. "NO!"

_Next: You're In My Blood_


	16. You're In My Blood

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Sixteen: You're In My Blood_

Ayeka was paralyzed at the sight of Ryoko. The cyan haired woman's arms were outstretched to give her a lethal hug and her grin revealed her white deadly fangs.

"Quickly Kiyone!" Mihoshi's voice came out of the darkness as two shadows leaped up from behind a divan.

"Hey!" Ryoko exclaimed as a net was thrown over her. "What's going on?" The shadowy forms of two tall slender women tugged on the net and wrenched the cyan-haired vampire off her feet.

"Thank goodness," Ayeka sighed as she lit a gas lamp. "What took you so long?"

"After seeing her walk through the wall we were afraid to move," Kiyone explained as illumination filled the room. The teal-haired doctor held one end of the net with both her hands as Ryoko struggled.

"Yeah," Mihoshi nodded. "It's a good thing that Ryoko can't go through this net as easily as she went through the wall."

"What?" Kiyone's blue eyes widened in fear as she saw a similar expression appear on Mihoshi's face. They both looked slowly down at Ryoko, who had stopped struggling when she heard the blonde inmate's statement.

"Hm," the vampiric vixen muttered as she stood up, free of the net. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Oh no," Kiyone groaned.

"Take it easy, Kiyone," Ryoko quipped as she rubbed her fist. "You can't all die at once." She seized the hapless Mihoshi, who squealed in fear as Ryoko embraced her. "I'll just have to drink you all dry, one at a time, so Tenchi will be all mine!" She opened her mouth to expose her sharp fangs and brought her mouth to the struggling Mihoshi's throat.

"No!" Mihoshi cried. "Not again!"

"What am I, insane?" Ryoko laughed ruefully as she released the struggling blonde without injury. "If I drink _her_ blood, I'll be as crazy as she is!" She put a hand on her forehead, looked down and shook her head. "Boy, I am off my game today!"

"Ha!" Ayeka pulled out a large wooden cross from beneath her large skirts. "Stay back! The power of Christ commands you!"

"Um, Ayeka," Ryoko put her hands on her hips and spoke condescendingly. "I'm _wearing_ a cross," she said as she pointed to the tiny silver cross on the slender chain around her neck. "If I can wear one, they can't work that well, can they?"

Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone backed up to stand beside Tenchi.

"Okay, which one of you to dispose of first?" Ryoko tapped her bottom lip with a forefinger. "Ayeka, you are my biggest rival, I guess you'll be the first to die."

"Now wait a minute!" Tenchi shouted stepping in front of the cringing girls. "I'm not just going to stand here and watch you kill them!"

"That's okay," Ryoko shrugged. "You can wait outside while I kill them."

"That's not what I meant!" Tenchi growled. "I don't know _how_ I drove you off before but I can do so again! You aren't going anywhere near these women!"

"Oh, Tenchi…" Ayeka's hand clutched her bosom as she blushed shyly.

"Oh!" Ryoko put her hand over her mouth and her eyes glistened. "That's so sweet!" Suddenly, the undead damsel put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot as if the solicitor had done something wrong. "But why are you saying that to _me_? You should be saying that to _them_!"

"I beg your pardon?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow.

"_They_'re the ones trying to attack _me_," Ryoko insisted. "I was just defending myself." She seized the boy's shoulders and turned him around to face the heiress, the inmate, and the doctor. "You should be saying those brave things to _them_! _They_ are the ones who want to keep us apart."

"Ryoko," Tenchi turned around to face the vampire. "I'm saying it to _you_. I don't want to be a vampire."

"You don't?" the golden-eyed girl actually seemed surprised.

"No, I don't," he said resolutely. "I'm not going to spend eternity by your side drinking the blood of the living, Ryoko. It's not going to happen."

"Why you stinking ingrate!" Ryoko snarled, causing a bead of sweat to trickle out of Tenchi's hair. "I'm offering you eternity, and you're turning me down? How dare you?" She picked up the nearby divan and held it over her head with both hands. "I'll teach you not to play with a girl's heart! Heyah…!" she cried as Tenchi and the others dodged to avoid being hit with the soaring piece of furniture.

Tenchi, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone all screamed as lamps, chairs and coffee tables where thrown at them, either from Ryoko or by the invisible force of telekinesis. Ryoko continued to make animal growls and cries as the others jumped, dodged, and ducked to avoid getting hit by the supernaturally hurled missiles.

"Ryoko! No!" cried Sasami's voice.

"Huh?" Ryoko stopped her assault in time to see the blue-haired child dash up to her carrying a decorated vial of water.

"Holy water splash!" Sasami Morris cried as she sent the contents out of her flask into the vampire's face.

"Aaaah!" Ryoko cried as she backed away, writhing as she clutched at her face with both hands. "I'm melting! Melting! Who would have thought that such an innocent little girl would be my doom? I'm melting! Melting!" she screeched melodramatically.

"Oh, Ryoko," Sasami gasped as the brown furry Ryo-ohki ran up to stand next to the prepubescent housemaid. "I'm so sorry!"

"Boo!" Ryoko gestured with her hands and stuck her tongue out.

"Eeek!" Sasami and a meowing Ryo-ohki ran away to cringe next to Tenchi and the others.

"Ow," Ryoko rubbed her eyes. "That water really does sting. What did you put in it, anyway?"

"Hello Ryoko," came another voice. "Water bothers you, does it?"

"Huh?" Ryoko turned around to see a short woman with red hair. "Who are you? Doctor von Washu, is it?"

"So you remember me," von Washu smiled while keeping her hands behind her back. "Very good. You were really out of it when we last met."

"Yeah, so what are you going to do, use garlic?" Ryoko seemed skeptical.

"Nothing so mundane," Washu replied. "You know that you're threatening your friends. They're just trying to save you from the darkness that has consumed you."

"Save me? I don't need any help," Ryoko insisted, slightly intimidated by Washu's calm demeanor. "I'm resurrected! I'm indestructible! I don't need anyone!"

"Really?" Washu retorted. "Then why are you after Tenchi so badly? Afraid of facing eternity by yourself?"

"No!" Ryoko sounded like a stubborn child caught in a lie. "He and I were meant to be, that's all. Not even the grave can separate us. Can't you see that?"

"All I can see is that the Ryoko Westenra that we know and love is being gobbled up by a darkness she can't even see, let alone defend herself against," the brainy redhead scolded.

"What are you talking about?" Ryoko crossed her arms.

"You've been giving your childhood friends death threats," Washu pointed out. "Ayeka is your best friend, and you were going to drain her of her blood and throw her body away like a used orange peel."

"N-no I wasn't!" Ryoko stammered. "I was just trying to scare her, that's all!"

"Are you sure?" Washu asked her. "Are you sure you weren't going to hurt her?"

"Hey, what makes this any of your business anyway?" the vampire demanded seizing the little scientist by the lapels and picking her up to sneer into her face. "You have no idea who you're dealing with! I'm unstoppable!"

"Are you sure?" Washu held up a little dust broom to the vampire's face.

"Yeagh!" Ryoko's eyes bulged out in fear and she leaped back, dropping the petite redhead. "What's going on?"

"It's just a tiny little dust broom," Washu said, holding it out before her. "You can hold it in one hand. It's barely a foot long. It's nothing that can hurt you, is it?"

Ryoko snarled and bared her fangs. She held up her hand to protect her face and backed away.

"I did some checking on you," Washu said. "It seems that when you were human, you hated helping out with the household chores. It stands to reason that what repulsed you in life would have an even stronger effect on you now."

"Your supernatural weakness is… housework?" Kiyone asked incredulously. "My gawd, you must really feel pathetic!"

"This is…" Ryoko hissed. "This is stupid! That's just a broom!"

"Oh that's nothing," Washu smiled. "Get a load of this!" Her other hand came out from behind her back, revealing a brush used to clean toilets.

"Aah!" Ryoko cried. She turned around and flew to the wall, only to bounce off and fall to the ground. "Ow! What's… what's going on?" she said as she rubbed her head.

"It seems that you hated doing the laundry too," Washu said calmly. "While you were threatening your friends I took the opportunity to ward the area with a thin line of detergent."

"Laundry detergent? Give me a break!" Ryoko stood up and shook her fist. "I'm not going to be imprisoned by laundry detergent!" she turned to dash to an open doorway. "Now that I'm a vampire, I'm a free spirit! No rules! No limitations! I come and go where I please! Ow!"

When she tried to exit through the parlor's doorway, it was as if she had collided with an invisible wall. She slid down the unseen barrier until she was at eye level with the fine line of powder that was placed in the doorframe. "Not to worry," she smirked and let out a deep breath. To her alarm, she failed to blow the dry soapy ward away. "Huh?" She let out several more quick breaths. Nothing. It was as if she was unable to force air through her lungs.

"Sorry, Ryoko," Washu said as she hit the wild haired woman with the dust broom behind the ear as if it was a blackjack.

"Ohh," Ryoko groaned as she slumped and lay still.

"Doctor von Washu!" Mihoshi cried. "That's amazing! You did it!"

"Now what do we do?" Kiyone asked. "How do we confine a woman who can fly and walk through walls?"

"Get some clothesline," Washu ordered. "That's probably the only rope that can hold her."

"Right away, Doctor," the blonde nodded and dashed off.

Tenchi walked over to Ryoko's side and kneeled to examine her. "Doctor von Washu, do you think we will be able to restore Ryoko to normal?"

"To be honest, I don't know, Tenchi," Washu replied. "This is completely outside of the realm of human experience."

"But Doctor von Washu!" Ayeka protested. "You are the foremost expert in the world in both medicine and the paranormal! Surely there's something you can do? Isn't there some obscure legend or myth that mentions something like this somewhere?"

"Well," Washu stroked her chin while looking down at the comatose Ryoko. "I have heard of some legends of vampires regaining their humanity, but those stories are convoluted and contradictory."

"Do they have anything in common?" Tenchi Harker asked. "Any recurring theme no matter how vague or symbolic?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Washu continued to stroke her chin thoughtfully while she walked in circles around the room. "There might be a place to start. Over eighty percent of the stories of redeemed vampires have one thing in common."

"And what is that, Doctor?" Ayeka asked breathlessly.

"The first step is almost always the death of the progenitor," Washu fixed her gaze at Tenchi and Ayeka. "If we want the slightest chance of restoring Ryoko to her normal self, we are going to have to destroy the vampire that converted her."

_Next: Train Bound for Nowhere_


	17. Train Bound For Nowhere

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Seventeen: Train Bound for Nowhere_

The morning sun broke through the October fog, illuminating the city of London. The stones of the stately building known as 'New Scotland Yard' shone in the light filtering through the clouds of an otherwise dismal dawn. Completed only months ago New Scotland Yard was now home of London's Metropolitan Police Force, the Criminal Investigation Department, and the Special Branch. Next-door was the Cannon Row police station, where suspects were actually booked and jailed.

Underneath the offices of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Metropolitan Police Force, gaslights and the dim light filtering in through the grainy windows near the ceiling illuminated an underground examining room. Three men examined a still figure on an examining table. One was an elderly bespectacled man whose long iron-gray hair was parted in the middle and pulled back into a ponytail. Despite his age, his posture was as ramrod straight as a man at least two decades his junior. He pushed his spectacles back on his nose and lit his pipe before speaking. "Well Doctor?" he asked as he absently ran a finger through his mustache. "What do you make of it?"

"By Jove, it's incredible!" exclaimed a middle-sized, strongly built man. His square jaw was clenched in silent horror, a vein appearing on his thick neck, his moustache quivering as he attempted to make up his mind on how much to tell them. "This woman has been completely drained of blood!"

"We've been getting a lot of these lately," said a tall bespectacled man with broad shoulders, jet black hair parted in the middle, a healthy tan and a pencil thin moustache.

"Nobby!" the old man warned him.

"Oops!" Nobuyuki rubbed the back of his neck selfconciously and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Dad."

"Inspector Yosho, exactly how many of these cases have you been getting?" the physician asked irritibly.

The morning sun shone off the elderly inspector's eyeglasses, making it impossible to read his expression. He took a few puffs on his curved pipe and effectively hid his face in smoke before answering. "This is the third, Doctor Watson."

"The third!" exclaimed the medical doctor. "There are two more?"

"Yes," Yosho stood as still as a statue. "Starting with Ryoko Westenra three nights ago. Since then, we've been getting one a night."

"We'll probably get another one this morning," Nobuyuki added gloomily.

"Th-this is monstrous!" Doctor John H. Watson shuddered, "but why did you call me here?"

"Your old roommate was an expert at bizarre cases like this," Yosho shrugged. "Didn't he used to say that the commomplace crime was baffling, but the extraordinary case was easy to solve?"

"Why yes…but…" Watson turned away and mopped his brow. "Holmes hasn't been seen since we went to Switzerland."

"Did you actually see him go over the falls, Doctor Watson?" old Yosho asked as gently as he could.

"No," Watson shook his head. "I didn't. But the tracks tell the story. Both men went over the side."

"Doctor Watson, during your long association with Sherlock Holmes did you by any chance pick up any proficiency in his methods?"

"By the study of trifles you mean?" Watson turned back to face the eldery inspector. "Why yes, I suppose… The minute evidence left at the scene of a crime could tell a discerning eye much if the mind was trained properly."

"Sherlock Holmes trained you," Yosho responded. "I'm not expecting miracles Doctor, just a lead you can put us on."

"Very well," Watson sighed. "I'll show you what I found, and then examine the other bodies you have in the morgue." He walked over the corpse. "You can see here on the neck these two marks. Note the absense of color around the wound and the angry redness in the center. Interesting, eh? The murder weapon must be very distinctive."

"Ah yes," Yosho peered down at the body on the table. "Is there anything you can add?"

"There is something damnably familiar about these marks but right now I can't put my finger on it," the doctor relplied. "I'm sorry," Watson shook his head. "I'm not Sherlock Holmes, but I'll do what I can. If you want to get to the bottom of this mystery before someone else dies you are going to need a genius of his caliber as a consultant."

"You're who we have in the meantime," Yosho countered, "but is there someone that you had in mind?"

"Why yes," Watson sighed. "Holmes, bless him, was an awful egotist at times, but even he had to admit that there was one person in London who's genius dwarfed even his incredible intellect."

"And who pray tell, would that be?" Yosho raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Doctor Kathrine von Washu," Watson responded. "I understand that she is the department chair of Mad Science at London University. Have you asked her to consult on this case?"

"We haven't been able to get in touch with her," Yosho shrugged. "That's why we contacted you."

"Dear me," Watson tutted. "Is she on sabbatical?"

"I don't think so," Yosho shook his head. "The Mad Science building burned to the ground the night before last."

"What?" Watson sputtered. "But then where in the devil is she?"

At that moment Doctor K. T. von Washu and Miss Ayeka Murray were in a telegram office at Paddington Station.

"Hmph," Ayeka sniffed. "How unpleasant! If everyone had telephones I'd be able to speak to my people directly."

"Will everything be ready when we get there?" Washu asked as she grabbed her hefty carpet bag and turned to go.

"Oh yes," Ayeka nodded. "My house in the country should be ready for our needs by the time we arrive. I'm afraid that no train goes directly to Glastonbury so we shall have to ride in a carriage from Bath to Wells, and from Wells to my house outside Glastonbury."

"Good," Washu said as they left the building and trotted down the steps to the street. "A place in the countryside far off the beaten path. No innocents for Ryoko to victimize. A nice isolated spot to study her and begin her treatment."

The two entered a waiting hansom cab and were taken to the trainyard. Waiting there for them was Ayeka's private railcar. Being the wealthy heir to the Jurai fortune had its benefits, including travelling in style. Sasasmi would already be on board getting things ready for travel.

Washu was gratified to not only see wagons and porters loading the party's luggage but also an ambulance parked nearby. That meant that Tenchi, Mihoshi, and Kiyone had arrived with Ryoko in tow. By the time the train coupled with Ayeka's car, they would be ready to go.

As a matter of fact, Mihoshi and Tenchi were carrying a struggling Ryoko on a stretcher as Ayeka and Washu disembarked from the hansom. Ayeka paid the driver while Washu watched the spectacle before her.

"Aaah!" Ryoko screamed. "Get this clothesline off of me! It burns us! It burns us!"

"Oh Tenchi," said a contrite and sympathic Mihoshi Renfield, "Can't we untie her? She sounds like she is in a lot of pain and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt…"

"We don't dare," Tenchi countered. "Not until we get her onboard at least."

"Please Tenchi," Ryoko sniveled, "It hurts so much! I can't stand it! I promise I'll be good!"

Tenchi looked over his shoulder at Kiyone, who was instructing the ambulance driver to head back to the hospital. "Well, okay," he sighed, "but you promise to behave, all right? No disappearing or flying or anything like that!"

"I promise," swore a teary-eyed Ryoko, her voice weak and vulnerable.

"I'm going to regret this," Tenchi muttered as he and Mihoshi set down their charge and started untieing the vampiric vixen.

"There you go," Mihoshi smiled. "It's all off. Watch your step as you board the train now…"

"Ha!" Ryoko leapt to her feet and spread her arms wide. A feral expression crossed her face and she smiled wickedly exposing her fangs. "I'm free! Now to make you all pay for what you have done to me!"

"But Ryoko," Tenchi tried to keep the alarm out of his voice. "We did it for your own good! We're trying to help you, can't you see that?"

"You tortured me," Ryoko sneered evilly. "So now I'll do the same to you. You've exhausted my patience…" At that moment the sun broke throught the clouds and a ray of sunlight shone down on the trio. Ryoko squinted, and then yawned dramatically. "You've exhausted my patience…" she repeated sluggishly as bags formed under her droopy eyes. "Exhausted…" she said as her eyes closed and her shoulders sagged. "Yeah, I'm exhausted…" She yawned and stretched dramatically. "Boy, I am I tired," she muttered listlessly. "Goodnight, Tenchi," she put her arms around the confused young solicitor. "See you tommorrow." With that, Ryoko closed her eyes and immediately started snoring.

"Um," a bewildered Mihoshi uttered. "What just happened?"

"Vampires are usually dormant during the daytime," Washu said as she walked up from behind the solicitor, startling Tenchi. "It appears that Ryoko is no exception."

"Really?" Mihoshi blinked. "But she'll miss breakfast."

"Hey!" Ayeka cried. "Tenchi! What are you doing with your arms around that monster-woman?"

"Er," Tenchi blushed. His arms encircled the dozing Ryoko as if he was embracing a lover. The cyan-haired hellion's head nuzzled his shoulder as she snored contentedly. "Um, uh… she fainted," he explained, but it sounded like a weak excuse even to him.

"That's right," Mihoshi nodded, inadvertantly coming to his rescue. "When we untied her, she started talking about getting her revenge and then she just fell asleep." The bronze-skinned blonde looked over at Ryoko, whose limp arms clung to Tenchi Harker. "Poor thing. She must be exhausted. She looks so peaceful when she's asleep. So darling."

"Yeah," Tenchi smiled. "You can hardly tell that she's evil at all."

"Okay," Kiyone walked through the dissapating morning fog to join them. "Are we all ready? Everyone have their luggage packed?"

"I'm arranging for my things to be delivered," Ayeka assured her as Tenchi and Mihoshi gently set Ryoko back down on the stretcher. "If you need anything, just tell me and I'll send away for someone to bring it."

"Thank you Ayeka," Kiyone nodded. "When trying to lift a supernatural curse that defies all of known science, we don't know what we're going to need."

Soon they were onboard Ayeka's luxurious railcar awaiting connection to the train that would take them on their way.

"Here is some soup," A smiling Sasami pushed a tray towards the table where Ayeka and the others were waiting. "Some warm soup should take the morning chill off." The bluehaired housemaid glanced around. "Isn't Ryoko going to eat with you?"

"She passed out at the first sign of sunlight," Washu answered. "It probably would do no good to try to get her up before noon."

"Oh," sighed a disappointed Sasami. "Okay. I just thought that since Ryoko is on a liquid diet, some chicken soup would be just the thing for her. Meat is dead flesh right? Hot soup is warm like fresh blood isn't it?"

"Ugh," groaned Ayeka. "What a thing to say at the table."

"I like the way you think, Sasami," Washu smiled at the little girl. "That's good thinking. If we _are_ going to wean her off her grisly diet, we need to find something she will eat."

"Either that, or we're going to have to perform a lot of blood transfusions," Kiyone sighed.

"I was just hoping that eating breakfast with the rest of you would make Ryoko feel less dead, that's all," said the darling Sasami Morris.

"You're right," Tenchi nodded. "If we treat her like a monster, it will just encourage her to _act_ like a monster. We need to give her human companionship and show her what she will be giving up if she forsakes her humanity."

"Yeah," Mihoshi agreed. "We don't want to treat her like she's some kind of weirdo." With that, she snatched a moth out of the air and popped it in her mouth.

"Oh dear," said Ayeka. "There's a fly in my soup."

"That's okay, Ayeka," said the chirpy Mihoshi. "You can trade with me!"

"You're sure," Ayeka blinked in surprise. "That's very kind of you, Mihoshi."

"Oh don't mention it," Mihoshi said breezily. "I like a little extra protien with my meal. Keeps me strong and fit don't you know."

"Hee hee," Ayeka giggled girlishly as she traded soup bowls with the blonde inmate. "Oh Mihoshi, you are such a joker!"

Kiyone decided not to tell Ayeka that Mihoshi wasn't joking. She just blew on her soup spoon and attempted to ignore the dizzy blonde as best she could.

"What's that you've got in the bag, Professor von Washu?" Tenchi asked respectfully. He was curious if the brainy redhead had any portable defenses versus the supernatural.

"Oh this?" Washu smiled. She pulled an ornate cyllinder out of the bag and set it on the table, then reached in and pulled out a second. "These will be our guardians against the creatures of the night."

"Oh," the rest of the companions gasped.

"Doctor von Washu, what are they?" Ayeka asked.

The two cylliders were made out of wood. Thin intricate lines of gold crisscrossed them diagonally. Each was capped by a convex lid made of colored jade. One was red, and one was blue.

"Your ancestors, Miss Ayeka," Washu replied.

"What?" Ayeka squeaked.

"No way," Tenchi scoffed.

"D-did you say '_my_ ancestors'?" Ayeka asked shakily.

"Mm-hm," Washu smiled and nodded. "That's right. These, my friends, are the funeral urns of the Saint Azaka and Saint Kamadakie, the first samurai to convert to Christianity. Azaka's son married Kamadakie's daughter, and they had children, one of whom is the direct ancestor of Ayeka's mother."

"Um, Doctor von Washu," Sasami Morris asked shyly. "What's a 'samurai'?"

"The European equivalent would be 'knight'," Washu answered. "They served their feudal lords that were called daimyos or shoguns. They were the warrior class and could gain great wealth and power."

"So I am related to nobility," Ayeka smiled. As the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, she had always been snubbed by the aristocracy who jealously looked down on the _nouveu riche_.

"That's right," Washu smiled. "Azaka and Kamadakie were known for fighting monsters and other minions of evil in Japan, and on their deathbeds they promised to return from the afterlife should a Christian son or daughter of theirs ever be threatened by the supernatural. Technically, that would be you, Ayeka."

Ayeka beamed with pride. Tenchi and Kiyone were silent. They weren't a hundred percent certain that resurrecting the spirits of two Japanese ghosts would help or hinder their struggle against the forces of darkness. Still they didn't have much choice if the creature that cursed Ryoko came looking for them.

_Next: Pain In The Neck_


	18. Pain In The Neck

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Eighteen: Pain In The Neck_

Ryoko dosed on her back in a sleeping compartment, for all intents and purposes dead to the world. That is, until a small creature hopped onto her stomach and loped up to her collarbone. Ryoko groggily opened her yellow, hawklike eyes to peer into a pair of eyes even more golden and inhuman than her own.

"YAAAAH!" Ryoko screamed, bolting upright as her cyan-white hair quivered with a life all its own.

"RE-AAAH!" the brown rabbit-thing yowled as it jumped into the air and flailed her legs before landing on the floor and bounding out of the sleeping compartment.

The big-eared furball reappeared perched on Sasami's head as the bluehaired housemaid entered the door. "Is everything all right in here?" the little girl asked.

"What is that thing?" Ryoko rubbed her eyes and sat up to point at the animal on the housemaid's head. "It looks like a rabbit but it has the face of a cat!"

"Oh this?" Sasami's pink eyes glanced up at the furry herbivore balanced on her head. "This is Ryo-ohki. Cute little thing isn't she?"

"Ryo-ohki?" Ryoko repeated the unfamiliar word. "What kind of name is that?"

"Professor von Washu named her after you," Sasami plucked the cabbit off her head and offered it to the wary woman. "Go ahead and pet her. She won't bite."

Hesitantly, Ryoko extended her hand and stroked the cabbit's head. Disconcertingly enough, the rabbit thing made a purring sound like a cat.

"See?" Sasami beamed. "She likes you."

"Yeah," Ryoko said as she rose to her feet. "I guess she does." The voluptuous vampire glanced around at her surroundings. "We're in Ayeka's private car, huh?" The sound of the wheels going over the rails confirmed it. "Where are we going, anyway? Where's Tenchi?"

"Right outside the door," came Tenchi Harker's reply. "I responded to the sound of the scream."

"That's so sweet!" Ryoko's eyes lit up and she bounded past Sasami in Tenchi's direction. Normally in the cramped quarters of the sleeping compartment, that would have been a challenge, but the cyan-haired siren simply phased through the wall of the sleeping compartment to embrace the started solicitor.

"Yi!" Tenchi yelped. "Don't do that! You scared the life out of me!"

"Oh Tenchi," Ryoko's voice became husky as she placed her hands on the young man's cheeks to stare into his eyes. "It's just the two of us, on a journey that will last forever… Isn't it romantic?"

"Um," A bead of sweat trickled out of his hair.

"It's not just the two of you, Miss Ryoko," Ayeka's voice snapped. "Kindly take your hands off him and come into the parlor like a civilized person, you supernatural strumpet."

"Strumpet!" The greenish-white hair on Ryoko's head became ruffled as she bared her fangs. She brushed past Tenchi to float into main chamber of Ayeka's railcar to face the haughty heiress. "You come over here and say that, you lazy brat!"

"Lazy!" exclaimed an indignant Ayeka. "After all the trouble we went through! We did it all for you, you undead ingrate!"

"Ingrate, eh?" Ryoko ignored the concerned looks of Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Washu, who were sitting in the parlor compartment of the car near Ayeka. "Why should I be grateful for being abducted against my will?"

"Isn't that what you wanted to do to me?" Tenchi asked dryly.

"Urk!" Ryoko gulped, then scratched the back of her neck and laughed guiltily. "Aha-ha-ha! Oh yeah, I guess turnabout _is _fair play," she blushed. Ryoko glanced at the doors and windows leading to the exterior. Without exception, each one had a broom or dustpan secured to them by rope or string. "What's that stuff for?" she asked the group. "Celebrating Sweep and Mop Day?"

"I just wanted to test how effective wards are against you," Washu responded. "In Germany, I encountered a ghost that couldn't go through walls if I put coins on the doors and windows."

"Why not?" Ryoko asked.

"The pursuit of riches ruined the specter in life," Washu responded. "By symbolically blocking all physical points of entrance or egress with the proper allergen, the ghost couldn't enter the warded area, not even by going through the walls, which weren't directly warded. When dealing with the supernatural, symbolism often takes precedence over physics."

"But I'm already in here," Ryoko insisted.

"We didn't want you to phase through the wall while the train was in motion." Washu explained.

Ryoko pushed her hand into the wall experimentally, and it seemed perfectly solid. She then attempted to untie the broom from the main door, but couldn't quite force her hands to touch the broom, or even the door, for that matter.

"Hey!" Ryoko growled. "What's going on? I can't get near it! I can't even touch the string!"

"Aha!" Washu smiled. "I was correct. Apparently the broom handle should be in the upright position to act as an appropriate ward."

"What?" Ryoko blinked. "I'm allergic to phallic symbols?"

"No you lazy gutterbrain, you're allergic to work!" Ayeka snapped.

"Who's allergic to work?" Ryoko growled.

"Now, now," Tenchi tutted, moving in between the two. "Ayeka, you've got to calm down. You know that Ryoko isn't herself right now."

"I'm not even sure that's Ryoko at all," Ayeka sniffed. "What happened to her manners?"

"I'll show you manners!" Ryoko growled as Tenchi struggled to keep the angry woman away from the heiress.

"Please, Ayeka," Mihoshi begged her. "Don't get her mad. We're trapped in here until we reach Bath!" That wasn't entirely true, since without dining cars, the train would make 'rest stops' at various 'refreshment stations' where the passengers could buy food and drink. Still, the point was valid. A caged vampire could be very dangerous indeed.

Tenchi had grasped Ryoko's wrists to keep her from throttling the heiress. Fortunately, Ryoko didn't seem as strong during the daytime as she had been at night. Or maybe she was just taking it easy. "Please, Ryoko," Tenchi pleaded. "Ayeka didn't mean it. We've all been under a great deal of strain, and tempers are thin…"

"Yeah well I never asked to go on this trip in the first place!" Ryoko snarled. "Where are you taking me, anyway?"

"We're going to Ayeka's house in the country," Tenchi explained. "You know, the one outside of Glastonbury?"

Ryoko's mercurial mood changed yet again, and she calmed down as Tenchi released her. "Oh yeah," she nodded. "So we're going in time for the hunting season?" She said with sudden cheeriness. "I can't wait!"

Sweatdrops appeared on the heads of all normal humans present.

"Er, uh, yeah," Tenchi stammered. "That's the idea. The city was getting so confining. Nothing like the fresh outdoors before winter hits, right?" He led Ryoko back to the sleeping compartment. Suddenly, it seemed like a good idea to separate Ryoko and Ayeka until Ayeka could steel herself for traveling with a vampire.

"Oh yeah!" Kiyone called after them. "Right…" she nodded in an exaggerated motion. She hissed an aside to Ayeka. "Ayeka, what's with you? Ryoko is your best friend! You've got to give her a chance."

Tears welled up in Ayeka's eyes and she pulled a handkerchief. "I… I know," she murmured. "I just can't stand to see that demon make a mockery of Ryoko's memory… It's hard to believe that Ryoko's soul is trapped in there…"

"In psychology we call this 'transference'," the delicious doctor explained. "The subject is angry but can't strike back at the real cause of her anger so she transfers it to a convenient scapegoat. Isn't there the slightest possibility that's what you're doing now?"

"Yes I'm angry!" Ayeka shouted, causing Sasami and Mihoshi to jump. "My best friend, Ryoko! She's been turned into a monster! The fiend that did this to her has gotten away with it! Ryoko was such a good person, and now she's… She's like a wild animal! That scoundrel not only destroyed Ryoko, he's destroyed her good name! Every word that vulgar creature in the sleeping compartment says shames the memory of the Ryoko I knew and loved! And I will not allow it!"

To everyone's surprise, it was Mihoshi who spoke next. "Hey, I don't think that you're being fair, Ayeka. You're not the only one who's experienced a tragedy like this. I have it on good authority that one of Kiyone's dearest friends has lost her mind and now acts like a moronic child, but you don't see Kiyone crying about it. She remembers that she's a professional and that she's a doctor, and more importantly than that, she's British! If we don't serve as an example to the world by keeping a stiff upper lip, it could spell the end of civilization as we know it. I think that you should apologize to Kiyone right now. You don't see her sobbing and crying."

Sasami, Ayeka, and Kiyone were silent. Washu had crept away to follow Tenchi and Ryoko.

"I… I never said that she was 'a moronic child'…" said a contrite and moved Kiyone.

Mihoshi put a finger to side of her cheek and squinted in thought. "Well, you don't see her sobbing and crying most of the time anyway. When she thinks she's alone she cries like a baby. She can turn a dry handkerchief into a soaked sponge in less than a minute. Boy, her friend who's been reduced to a blithering idiot must really be a basket case…"

Kiyone blushed and gritted her teeth. "You always say one word too many!" she shouted as she put her arm around the blonde's neck and used her other arm to place her hand over Mihoshi's mouth.

Meanwhile in the sleeping compartment, Tenchi was doing his best to keep Ryoko calm without sticking his neck out. Unfortunately, Ayeka had shouted so loudly that the sound traveled before Tenchi could shut the door.

"Hey!" Ryoko exclaimed indignantly. "Just who does she think she's talking about anyway?"

"She's not angry at you, Ryoko…" Tenchi insisted.

"Then just who is she angry with, anyway?" Ryoko asked pointedly.

"She's angry at the thing that cursed you, Ryoko," Tenchi explained.

"The thing that… cursed me?" Ryoko frowned in thought. Her memories of her conversion to undeath were very fuzzy. To be honest, she _was_ in a trance at the time. Still she had no doubts that she would recognize the vampire who brought her across if she ever met him. She was after all, flesh of his flesh, and blood of his blood…

She shivered and glanced around as if afraid.

"Ryoko?" At last, Tenchi seemed afraid _for_ her instead of afraid _of_ her. "Are you all right? Is something wrong?" Since becoming a vampire, Ryoko seemed to change moods faster than a cardsharp could shuffle, but he was not used to her emotion suddenly shifting to fear. It made him forget that she wasn't human and drew out his chivalrous instincts. "Is it the dust pan?" he asked indicating the cleaning implement tied to the shuttered window. "Or is it something else?"

"It's… it's nothing," she lied. She put her arms gently around Tenchi and looked around in alarm. She noticed Doctor von Washu spying on them but couldn't bring herself to care.

"Hey, hey," Tenchi stroked her back like she was a cat. "It's all right. I won't let anything get you. Fool me once, and all that, right? We're going to take you far away from London. Far away where you're safe."

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Safe."

How could she be safe? The ichor that infused Kagato's resurrected corpse flowed through her veins too. She carried a part of his curse within her. A part of Kagato was in Ryoko, just at the back of her consciousness, ready to take over in case he decided that Ryoko's form would be more useful for a task than his own. In the meantime she was free to sample the blood of the innocent until she finally found the bloodline that he was searching for… The bloodline that he would stop at nothing to consume…

"I'm not scared," she muttered in a terse whisper. "I'm immortal. Indestructible." Tears flowed down her cheeks as she shut her beautiful golden eyes. "I can't be scared. I'm undead. I can't be hurt, right? Right?" She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed pitifully.

_Next: A Quiet Time in the Country_


	19. A Quiet Time in the Country

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Nineteen: A Quiet Time in the Country_

Ayeka's house in the country was quite idyllic. Only a few miles from the legendary Isle of Avalon, it was situated on the shallow coast of Somerset County about one hundred and twenty-five miles west of London. Although much of Somerset County was flat, Ayeka's house was located in a hilly area near a large pond that had previously been a quarry pit. Time and professional landscaping had turned the scarred land into a green and forested valley.

The Murray house had two stories with an additional attic. Rather than the 'gothic castle' look that was popular with Victorian architects, Ayeka's late father had ordered the house built using the quaint barn shaped motif that gave the country mansion a wholesome cheery appearance. Modifications requested by Ayeka's Japanese mother had resulted in the addition of paper screens and a balcony on the second floor.

From the main house was a path of stone steps that led up the embankment to the cottage of Katsuhito, the elderly caretaker that Ayeka's deceased mother had brought with her from Japan. Rumors abounded that he was a Shinto priest or a rogue prince who had fled his homeland.

"Nobuyuki," the old man called his thirty-nine year old son. "I think that I see Miss Ayeka's carriage in the distance."

"Dad, I'm confused," said the tall broad shouldered man clad in workingman's clothes. "Weren't we Scotland Yard detectives two chapters back?"

"Yes," Katsuhito replied, "and now we are Katsuhito and his son Nobuyuki, caretakers for Ayeka Murray's country estate."

"Well, I don't know," Nobuyuki stammered. "I feel strange playing these different parts and all. What if detectives Yosho and Nobby show up?"

"Don't worry about it," the old man replied. "I seriously doubt that will happen. Anyway, here they come. Try to get into character."

"All right," Nobuyuki sighed. "We probably don't have many lines from here on in anyway."

As the carriage bearing Ayeka and her guests arrived, the white robed bespectacled old man approached to greet them. "Mistress Ayeka," he waved. "Welcome to Glastonbury." He greeted as Tenchi helped Ayeka Murray out of the carriage. "You must be tired from your trip."

"Thank you, grandpa," Ayeka smiled weakly as she referred to the elderly caretaker by his nickname. "You don't know the half of it." Traveling by rail and carriage was exhausting enough, but traveling with a transformed Ryoko was a feat that even Phileas Fogg would find challenging. She held her parasol and glanced around her estate apprehensively, knowing that now the real work would begin. Would these pastoral surroundings help Ryoko regain her humanity or would she just become a feral creature of the wilderness? Only time would tell.

"Excuse me, Nobuyuki," the teal-haired Kiyone said as she disembarked from the driver's seat on the carriage. "Could you help us with our bags?"

"Of course, Doctor Seward, I'd be happy to help," he replied with exaggerated formality.

"Don't bury yourself in the part," Katsuhito hissed as Tenchi, Ayeka, Mihoshi and Sasami stretched and looked around.

"Wow, look at the trees!" Sasami Morris gushed. "The autumn leaves are so beautiful!" she exclaimed as she ran happily away, grateful for a chance to stretch her youthful legs, Ryo-ohki meowing happily behind her.

"Don't shout, Sasami, that's not very ladylike," Ayeka's tone sounded as if she was Sasami's mother instead of her employer, but after her parents died, she always treated the girl like a little sister. They were both orphans living under the same roof after all. Normally servants were only allowed to speak when they were spoken to, and even then could only address their employers by their last name, but Sasami had been all but adopted into Ayeka's family.

"It always feels like we've traveled to a distant country when we come here," Mihoshi said wistfully to Kiyone as they walked around the house. "That red Japanese arch over there makes it look like we are in the orient!"

"Interesting," Washu said as she strode over to join them. "_Torii_ gates mark the approach and entrance to a shrine. Ayeka's mother must have had a Shinto shrine built where your mothers could practice their beliefs."

"A 'what' gate?" Kiyone asked.

"A _torii_ gate," Washu answered pointing at the structure in question. "That red doorway shaped edifice in the path to the caretaker's house. It's a _torii._ It indicates the spiritual entrance to a holy shrine. Don't you girls know this?"

She was greeted by blank looks from Kiyone and Mihoshi.

"For crying out loud," Washu put her hands on her hips. "Don't all you girls have Japanese mothers? Didn't they ever tell you about this stuff?"

"Well, sure..." Kiyone said guiltily.

"I'm sure she said something when I was really young..." Mihoshi added lamely.

Washu shook her head in disgust and walked away to join Ayeka and Tenchi.

Meanwhile, Katsuhito paused to ask his employer a question. "Miss Ayeka, what do we do with the lumber that was delivered?"

"Lumber?" Ayeka blinked. "You mean the coal, surely."

"No Miss Ayeka," Katsuhito shook his head apologetically, "lumber. Some teamsters unloaded two massive logs just before you arrived. They're not cut into boards or anything."

The lavender haired heiress followed her servant's gesturing arm to see two cylindrical logs, cut so that they were over six feet in height. Even with the bark removed they were easily three feet in diameter. To her surprise, they were varnished, as if intended as two pieces of furniture in a giant's castle.

"Oh," Ayeka daintily put her gloved hands before her mouth in a gesture of alarm. "Well, there must be some mistake."

"No mistake!" Washu shouted as she jogged up to the pair in a most unladylike fashion. "These two are necessary if we want protection from the supernatural!"

"Hey Dad," Nobuyuki shouted from the carriage. "Come help me with this steam trunk. It's a two man job, you know."

"Very well," the old man shrugged.

As the elderly caretaker went to join his son, Nobuyuki moved some travel bags off the trunk to uncover another passenger! She was in a blue dressing gown with lime green stripes and fancy boots. As the lanky woman snored, Nobuyuki tried to place her face. Was it really Miss Ryoko? Her wild greenish white hair made her look ten years older. What had happened to her?

The woman stretched and looked at him sleepily. "Are we there yet?" she asked.

Nobuyuki silently nodded as Katsuhito walked over to join them. "Well," the old man smiled. "Looks like we have another pretty lady at our house."

Meanwhile, Tenchi and Ayeka were still confronting Washu.

"Doctor von Washu, how are these logs going to help us against vampires?" Tenchi asked her.

"Call me, 'Little Washu', and I'll tell you," she smiled impishly.

"Very well, 'Little Washu', how will those logs help?" he sighed.

Washu looked behind her to glimpse the sluggish Ryoko stretching and yawning as Katsuhito and Nobuyuki picked up the steam trunk and walked away. Turning back to face Tenchi, she grinned fiendishly.

"Bend over, and I'll whisper it to you in your ear," she smirked.

Glancing at Ayeka, Tenchi shrugged and did as he was told.

To Tenchi's surprise and Ayeka's horror, when he stooped downward, Washu stood on her tiptoes, put her arms around the boy and kissed him on the cheek, making a loud, sloppy wet sound.

"Wa… Wa… Miss Washu!" Ayeka cried.

Ignoring the heiress' stammering protests, Washu glanced to the carriage to see Ryoko snap awake and scowl in their direction.

"Why don't you go over and help unpack the carriage?" the mad doctor suggested to the blushing solicitor.

As Tenchi walked away, Ayeka stooped to face Washu, but kissing wasn't her intention. "Miss Washu! How dare you kiss Tenchi like that! You shameless hussy!"

"There's a method to my madness," Washu assured her. "I'll tell you once you've calmed down."

"When I've calmed down?" Ayeka growled.

"Yeah," Washu shrugged. "Oh by the way…"

"What?" Ayeka demanded.

"That's '_Doctor _von Washu' to you," the little scientist corrected as she slapped the wealthy heiress in the face.

When Tenchi reached at the carriage, Ryoko was nowhere to be seen. Seeing all of the suitcases and boxes, he took a deep breath. "Why do women bring so much luggage?" he groaned as he picked up some suitcases.

Ryoko chose that moment to appear in midair and land on the boxes he was carrying. "Let me give you a hand there, Tenchi!" she chirped, oblivious to the fact that her presence only added more weight to his burden.

"Hey! Get off, it's very heavy," Tenchi growled was the added weight made him slump.

"I wanted to talk to you," Ryoko put an arm around Tenchi's shoulder and leaned forward until she was close enough to kiss him.

"What about?" Tenchi asked. From the look on her face, she didn't appear to be interested in talking. From the way she kept closing the distance and staring at him with hungry eyes it was plain that she was interested in something more carnal. "Look, this is a small town, and we come here every year, so I want you to behave yourself," he nagged.

It was no use, she just kept leaning close to him and making quiet murmurs of affection. She pursed her lips if expecting a kiss.

"So anyway!" he shouted as he flung the top bag that Ryoko was sitting on away from him.

Ryoko scowled as she and the suitcase landed on the ground. "Why are you only saying this to _me_?" She snarled as the black strap that hung on the back of her nightdress twitched like a tail. "You've been acting weird lately, you know that?"

Tenchi tried to ignore her and concentrate on getting the bags out of the carriage.

"You've been flirting with Doctor von Washu, haven't you?" Ryoko said in an irrational fit of jealously.

Tenchi was quick to come to the defense of his proper and prudish reputation. "I'm not acting weird and I didn't do anything!" he protested.

"Yes you are, and I bet you're thinking of something kinky right now, aren't you?" Ryoko snarled as she disappeared from view.

"What?" Tenchi looked around to find Ryoko Indian sitting at a perpendicular angle in the air above him.

"I'm warning you," Ryoko grumbled, "that woman is dangerous. I put my life on the line to share my immortality with you and you didn't even thank me!" Apparently the vampire's power of telekinesis was linked to her mood, for the black strap hanging down from the back of her gown twitched like the tail of an angry cat.

"Get down!" the young man ordered as he looked around to see if Katsuhito or Nobuyuki were coming back. "Nobody should see you like that! What if somebody sees you?"

The young vampire floated over to him to embrace him from behind. "Oh Tenchi, I want you to flirt with me as well!" she cooed as her mercurial mood changed once again to playful and amorous.

"Get serious!" he growled as he pulled her off him.

Ryoko floated away to glare at him as she crossed her arms and crossed her legs as if she was sitting on something solid. "So, you can flirt with the other girls but not with me is that it?" She looked away in anger as she vanished from sight.

Tenchi looked back into the carriage to see that it was empty. Suddenly all of the boxes and bags that he had unpacked onto the floor levitated up to knock the young man into the carriage and bury him alive. "What does she want from me?" he blinked.

_Next: Ghastly in Glastonbury_


	20. Ghastly in Glastonbury

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty: Ghastly in Glastonbury_

While the others were unpacking in their rooms, Ayeka tracked down Washu in the basement. "Doctor von Washu!" the heiress cried. "Explain what you meant by that egregious display out there!"

"Just put 'em over there, boys!" the mad doctor directed the two Japanese menservants.

"I'm getting too old for this," Katsuhito groaned as they rolled in a round heavy log.

"You and me both Dad," Nobuyuki agreed. "Burdens like this can age a man before his time!"

"Come on; put your backs into it, men!" Washu shouted. "Only one more to go after this, I promise!"

"Hum," the old man pondered. "Maybe if I feign an injury, Tenchi would help you instead of me. A younger and stronger back could share more of the burden, you know."

"Are you kidding?" Nobuyuki said indignantly. "Not a chance! That skinny pencil pusher hasn't done hard labor a day in his life! You're stronger than him by far!"

Katsuhito shrugged as they went outside to bring in the second log.

In the shadows, a cyan haired woman floated through the ceiling and mischievously hid in a corner.

"Doctor von Washu!" Ayeka tapped the little redhead on the shoulder.

Washu turned and looked surprised, as if she had just noticed Ayeka for the first time. "Oh," she blinked. "I guess you want to know what the logs are for, huh?"

Slowly Ryoko floated towards the duo, her arms against her ample chest, her hands facing the two women and her fingers extended like claws. The strap on the back of the vampire vixen's gown flapped in the air of its own accord, making the woman resemble a playful cat.

"No!" the purple haired heiress stamped her foot. "I want you to explain that vulgar performance you gave out there!"

"I was too obvious, huh?" Washu shrugged. "Sorry about that, but since my target audience was so far away I had to exaggerate it."

Ryoko paused and leaned back into the shadows, her childish mission to scare the two forgotten in her desire to eavesdrop.

"Target audience?" Ayeka put her hands on her hips and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Why Ryoko, of course," the little genius replied. "No offense, but you have been too willing to pick a fight with her ever since we started this trip!"

Ryoko crossed her arms and silently nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean?" the indignant heiress huffed. "Who do you think has been financing this enterprise from the beginning? I hired Kiyone as a private physician, and have Tenchi on retainer so he won't get in trouble with his firm. I'm paying for all of our living expenses as well as for _your_ services while I'm at it! My family took Ryoko in when her parents died, and I've been taking care of her ever since, even when she's become like a wild animal! This is all for Ryoko's benefit, I'm trying to _save_ her!"

Ryoko's eyes widened in surprise. The curse of vampirism had skewed her perceptions and made her doubt people's motives. She had assumed that Ayeka was embarrassed to have her around and had fled London to avoid a scandal. The idea that the heiress was actually trying to _save_ Ryoko had never occurred to her.

"She's not a wild animal yet, but if you keep antagonizing her, she may do something drastic," Washu warned her.

Ayeka gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "She wouldn't dare!"

"Yes she would and you know it," Washu said sternly. "You're her best friend. Her emotions towards you are just as strong as those towards Tenchi. You can get under her skin easier than the rest of us. To Ryoko, what you say and do _matters_."

"What?" Ayeka's voice was as soft as the cooing of a dove.

"If you're not careful, you'll push her into a confrontation, and then she'll do something she might regret." Washu considered following the Victorian convention of not voicing unpleasant topics out loud, but decided not to sugarcoat her suspicions. "If she harms you, it would be a wound her soul would not recover from. The demon would win the struggle and she would become the monster we fear. She would then be a threat to Tenchi, Sasami and the rest of us. By bringing out the worst in her, you are putting Ryoko and the rest of us in danger."

From her hiding place in the shadows, Ryoko's jaw dropped in horror. Was she really capable of murdering her best friend? Was she capable of murdering all of them, even Tenchi?

"I thought it might be a good idea to shift her ire from you to me for a while," the little genius explained. "To Ryoko, I'm a stranger. What I do doesn't mean as much, and in any case, I can take care of myself."

By now Ryoko's feet were on the floor, just as if she was a normal human. She sagged against the wall, overcome with a sudden weakness.

Ayeka couldn't maintain her British stiff-upper-lip anymore. She hugged the little scientist and cried on her shoulder. "I… I just want Ryoko back, that's all!" she sobbed. "Is that so wrong? I want that monster to go away and bring poor Ryoko back to us!"

Moisture formed in the vampire's eyes. Seeing Ayeka shed tears for her was too much. This was like attending her own funeral.

"She's still in there," Washu assured the distraught heiress. "Our Ryoko is still in there. As long as she has a reflection, we know she's still alive."

Ryoko nodded earnestly, desperate to believe that the mad doctor's statement was true.

"Sometimes I can't believe that," Ayeka sniffled, drawing back to pull a handkerchief out of her pocket and dab at her eyes. "She doesn't even look like herself! She looks old enough to be Sasami's mother!"

Ryoko gasped, and then frowned indignantly.

"Her hair is an ugly fright wig of tangles," the heiress continued.

Scowling fiercely, Ryoko rolled her eyes and plucked at her hair, searching for tangles and split ends.

"Her eyes are such a hideous yellow color!" Ayeka sobbed.

Ryoko's golden eyes bulged in indignation.

"And her teeth," stammered the heiress, "her teeth… They're like the fangs of a cat!"

The vampire opened her mouth and poked at her teeth with her thumb.

"And worst of all, she acts like a barbarian!" Ayeka spat. "She is nothing like the gentle, cultured girl I knew! It's hard to believe she's the same person!"

Ryoko's cheeks puffed up and her face grew red. Steam trickled out of the vampire's ears.

"She can't help it," Washu shrugged. "Under the effects of her curse, all her negative traits are exaggerated. She's been killed, then thrust back to life and is still suffering from both death and birthshock. Even if we somehow succeed, it's going to be a while before we restore the Ryoko you know."

Ayeka finished drying her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked up at the ceiling and then back down at the mad scientist. "We're putting our lives in danger aren't we?" she asked with forced calm.

"Our lives and our souls," Washu nodded. "Do you want to back out? You can always cut your losses and run. I can handle the unpleasantness." This time, Washu was honoring the Victorian custom of not speaking about unpleasant topics.

Ryoko's eyes bulged out as she cringed and hugged herself protectively.

Ayeka gasped when she realized that Washu was offering to do away with the vampire. "No! No!" Ayeka shook her head. "You couldn't! As long as there is a chance to save her I won't give up on her!"

Behind them, a frightened Ryoko nodded her head.

"You said that Ryoko's soul is still inside her, didn't you?" the heiress asked desperately. "If you destroy her that would be murder!"

"More like putting a terminally ill patient out her misery," Washu said with clinical detachment. "Remember we still don't know how vampirism spreads. You're gambling not only your lives, but the lives of the others as well."

"We know the risks and we're not giving up on her!" Ayeka insisted. "Ryoko was there for me when my parents died, she's my family now!"

Ryoko put her hand over her mouth and leaned against the wall. Her lips trembled as a bead of sweat trickled out her hair.

"Good," Washu nodded. "This isn't going to be a task for the weak of heart. It's crucial that we encourage the positive side of Ryoko's character. We must actively nurture the Christian virtues that are antithetical to a vampire's predatory instincts."

Ayeka nodded. "Charity, mercy, temperance, industry," she murmured as she ticked them off on her fingers. "That sort of thing."

"Yes," Washu agreed. "All things that will not come naturally to our patient."

Ryoko scowled at that remark.

"She's been thrust back to life, reborn, you could say," the genius continued. "That could be why she seems so childish and immature."

"But _Sasami_ is a child, and _she's_ like a little angel," Ayeka pointed out.

Washu put her hands on her hips. "_That _girl is a saint clothed in flesh," she snorted. "Hardly someone I would call 'typical' for her age."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Ayeka blushed, recalling her own behavior when _she_ was Sasami's age.

As Nobuyuki and Katsuhito returned rolling the second log, Ryoko left the basement by the expedient route of levitating up through the ceiling.

"This is torture!" Ayeka stamped her foot in frustration.

"Try to see it this way," Washu patted her shoulder. "Voltaire once wrote that Hell was being locked in a room with your best friend."

"Well of course he did," the heiress snorted with Anglocentric arrogance. "All of his friends were _French_!"

Back on the ground floor, Ryoko fumed over Doctor von Washu's less than complementary assessment of her. "How dare that von Washu act like I'm a rabid dog or something!" The vampire growled while punching her hand. "I'll show her! There's just got to be a way to make myself useful around here!"

She sat on a divan in the parlor, wracking her brains to find a useful task she could perform. Unfortunately, thinking up good deeds was not an endeavor a vampire was suited for. Hunting and killing warm-blooded beings came more naturally.

"That's it!" Ryoko smiled as she snapped her fingers. "Of course! That's perfect!" Humming to herself, the woman levitated off the couch and floated out of the room.

As the only male guest, it fell to Tenchi to help carry the heavy bags or move any furniture around, so first he helped the others. Afterwards, he finally got a chance to go to his own room to unpack.

Suddenly, young solicitor was struck by a feeling of _déjà vous_ when he heard a seductive feminine voice whisper, "Tenchi…"

Gasping, he turned to witness the ethereal Ryoko extend her head and shoulders through the door as if surfacing from a body of water. "Oh, there you are!" Her face lit up.

"Ryoko! It's you!" he cried, instinctively retreating from a manifestation of the paranormal.

Giggling girlishly, the vampire stepped into the room. Like a child begging for praise, Ryoko proudly held a disgusting bloodless carcass by the tail.

"Look, Tenchi!" the vampire gushed as the strap in the back of her gown flapped about like a tail. "I killed a rat for you! See? Now I'm using my supernatural powers for good instead of evil! Aren't I sweet?"

Tenchi's eyes bulged and his face developed a nervous tic as he stared at the dead rat that Ryoko was so happy to present him. It was curled up in a fetal position and the twin punctures of Ryoko's fang marks were visible on its back. Even its nasty black fur couldn't hide them.

"Uh, yeah…" the young man gulped nervously. "It's… uh… it's great Ryoko…" Sadly, Tenchi was fooling nobody, because his face was contorted with loathing and disgust.

"You don't like it," Ryoko pouted, sounding like a woman showing off a new dress rather than a supernatural predator that had returned from the grave. "I'm doing my best here!" she whined. "I'm _trying_ to do the right thing, honest I am! I can't help it if I don't know right from wrong! Cut me a break why don't 'cha!"

"You're doing fine, Ryoko," Tenchi tried to assure her. "It's the thought that counts!" Inwardly, he winced at that banal cliché.

"You're just saying that," the vampire had a tear in her eye. "You're all afraid of me, I just know it!"

"I…" Tenchi hesitated. He just wasn't able to lie fast enough.

With teary eyes, Ryoko turned and phased through the door. The dead rat didn't make the trip with her and bounced off the floor.

_Next: Mealtime_


	21. Mealtime

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. __Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. __This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-one: Mealtime_

"Tea time!" Sasami called cheerfully as she rang a dinner bell.

The inhabitants of the house came down the stairs to enjoy a light afternoon meal.

"Oh boy!" Mihoshi cheered. "I am so ready to eat!"

"You said it," Kiyone nodded. "We really wore ourselves traveling and unpacking."

"I know what you mean," Ayeka chimed in. "My voice is sore from telling the servants where to put things."

"Yep," Washu nodded. "Supervising the unloading of my equipment sure was exhausting."

Sasami giggled as Tenchi rolled his eyes. "Here's some sandwiches," the little cook said as the housemates sat down at the table. "I'll have some scones and jam out in a minute."

"Thank you Sasami," Ayeka smiled. "Ooh," she groaned as she saw an insect crawling across the white tablecloth. "That's the problem with coming here. For the first few days it's like being out on campaign. There's just too many bugs out in the country!"

"Don't worry about it," Mihoshi sang. "I'll get it." Before the shocked and surprised diners, she plucked the insect up off the table and popped it in her mouth.

"Mihoshi!" Ayeka shrieked. "You just put that bug in your mouth!"

"What?" Mihoshi chewed once and swallowed. "What are you talking about?"

"That has got to be the grossest thing I've ever seen!" the heiress gasped as she staggered away from the table. "I can't believe that you just did that! You just ate a bug!"

"Are you okay, Miss Ayeka?" the blonde eyed her critically. "You've been awfully excitable lately. Are you feeling well?"

"No I'm not feeling well! You just ate a bug!" Ayeka retorted.

"Please, Ayeka," Kiyone implored her. "You know that Mihoshi hasn't been the same since she got back from Transylvania…"

"Oh! Right!" the heiress nodded as she walked hesitantly back to the table. "Yes, of course! Sorry! I guess with all the excitement…"

As luck would have it a spider chose that moment to lower itself on an invisible thread of webbing from its perch on the chandelier hanging over the table. With one deft motion, Mihoshi snatched the arachnid out of the air and ate it.

"Ah!" Ayeka jumped backwards again was Kiyone put her hand to her forehead to stifle the headache that was forming. Tenchi squirmed in his seat and looked away. Washu just stared at the spectacle as if she was a cat watching a mouse. "Mihoshi!" the heiress squeaked. "You did it again!"

"I did what again?" Mihoshi asked as she chewed her grisly treat.

"You just put a spider in your mouth!" Ayeka cried. "That was got to be one of the most sickening things I've ever seen! You just put that disgusting thing in your mouth and now you're chewing it up!"

Mihoshi swallowed, causing Tenchi to gag. The blonde didn't seem to realize what she had done wrong. "What's the matter, Ayeka? Are you okay? Maybe you better see a doctor. Kiyone's a doctor. She's an alienist. She sees people who suffer from hysterics all the time. Why just the other day she managed to treat a man who had been wandering the streets. The poor guy was raving about girls coming back from the dead and said that a ghost chased him all over London University. The poor guy was a real mental case…"

"That was me," Tenchi interrupted. "Don't you remember? That was me. And Ryoko really did come back from the dead."

"Really?" Mihoshi's blue eyes blinked in confusion. "Wow. Well that proves my point. Tenchi is A-okay so just think what Kiyone can do for you, Ayeka."

"I'm not the one who's lost her mind, you are!" Ayeka snapped. "Yagh!" she cried as Ryoko appeared in the chair she was about to sit in.

"What?" Ryoko grumbled, irritated at the heiress' reaction.

"Can't you just walk into the room like an ordinary woman?" Ayeka put her hands on her hips and growled.

"Guess not," Ryoko sighed. "Okay, I'm here. Make with the goodies."

"Ryoko, where are your manners?" gasped a shocked Tenchi.

"Leave it," Washu ordered. "I want to see a baseline Ryoko, before we begin the treatment."

"Yeah, that's right," Ryoko snarled as she rose to her feet. "Before you begin my treatment! And if the treatment doesn't work, you want to put me out of my misery, right?"

"I don't want to put you out of your misery," Washu said evenly.

"Baloney!" Ryoko pointed an accusing finger at the little scientist. "She wants to strap me down and cut me open like a frog!"

"Now Ryoko, calm down," Tenchi grasped her hand gently and put his other hand on her shoulder to encourage her to sit down. "You know Doctor von Washu doesn't want to dissect you, right Doctor?"

Washu blushed guiltily and looked away.

"Anyway, why don't you eat something," Tenchi continued as Ryoko warily sat back down in Ayeka's seat. "I'm sure after we have tea, all of us will feel much better and can get a positive take on the situation."

Ayeka took another seat and marveled at Tenchi's calming effect on the vampire. Ryoko grudgingly hung on Tenchi's every word and followed his instructions even though her expression was skeptical. It appeared that Washu's strategy to have the vampire focus her hostility on the mad scientist was working. Ryoko kept a wary eye on the redhead as if she had a derringer hidden in her skirts. Who knew? Maybe she did.

Sasami poured everyone a cup of tea. "Would you like a scone or a biscuit to go with your sandwich, Miss Ryoko?" the little domestic asked sweetly.

"Drop dead… uh… sorry Sasami," Ryoko grumbled. "I'm not myself." She looked at the expressions on everyone else's faces and then muttered. "That goes without saying. Yeah, a scone would be great."

"Okay, here you go," Sasami said as she set down a saucer with the buttermilk scone and a small jar of jam.

"Thanks," Ryoko used a knife to smear jam on her scone and then took a huge bite out of it.

The others breathed a sigh of relief and then started passing each other small plates of scones and pouring each other cups of tea. "Well the weather seems fine," Tenchi commented, "should be good for hunting."

"Yes," Kiyone nodded. "I was a good shot last year so I have high expectations."

"Boy, you can say that again," Mihoshi giggled. "You'd do well in Dodge City! I don't think that Bat Masterson could do so well!" She poured Ayeka a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Mihoshi," the heiress said demurely. Ashamed at her recent outbursts, Ayeka decided to smooth things over by joining in the small talk. "I think that we all could do with a relaxing walk in the forest. We don't actually have to shoot anything if we don't find any birds…"

A heartbroken sob interrupted the casual banter.

"Ryoko?" asked a concerned Tenchi. "What's wrong?"

"I… I can't taste anything…" A tearful Ryoko informed him. "I stuffed in as much as I can, and chewed and chewed but I can't taste anything!"

"Um, maybe your scone is too bland…" he offered weakly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Tenchi!" the vampire sobbed. "I covered it in raspberry jam! Raspberry! My favorite! And now I can't taste it at all!"

"Hm," Washu murmured out loud. "It appears your carnivorous diet has affected your sense of taste…"

"Oh go stick a slide rule up your backside!" Ryoko snarled as she pushed herself up from the table and flew through the wall.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi cried. "Come back!"

Ryoko appeared at the top of the roof, tears streaming through her eyes. She was a freak! A freak! A crime against nature! She had no place in the natural order! She thought that being a vampire meant that she was at the top of the food chain, but she was wrong! Being a vampire means being a disease! A blight upon all mankind! A threat to all who know her!

Back in the dining room, Tenchi got up from the table. "We've got to find her!" he cried. "We don't know what she'll do!"

Ayeka rose to her feet as well. "Tenchi's right," the heiress nodded. "Ryoko was finally sitting at the table like a human being and if she gives up, she might go all monster again. We've got to reassure her before it's too late."

"This is great news!" Washu gushed. "If she's really that upset, there must still be a human being inside! Did you see those tears? Genuine human grief!"

"Von Washu!" Ayeka gasped. "Shame on you! How could you get so happy over Ryoko being so upset?"

"This is the first evidence I've seen that she's curable!" Washu smiled. "Demons don't cry like that! Only a human can show such remorse."

"How would you know? Just how many demons have you seen?" Kiyone growled sarcastically as she rose to her feet to go look for Ryoko.

"Counting my ex-husband?" Washu quipped as she left the table to join them.

From the roof, Ryoko could hear her friends searching for her. Her name was called many times as they went from room to room. Finally she saw little figures in full skirts exit the house to look for her outside. Ryoko sighed as she looked out at the setting sun. Was there any point in going back? What would she do now? Where would she go? Could she be with Tenchi or would her very presence corrupt and eventually destroy him?

"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you all right?"

Ryoko responded by putting her face in her hands and sobbing. She felt his strong, wiry arm wrap around her as he sat on the roof beside her.

"Hey, it's okay," he assured her. "We know that no matter what has happened to you, you're still Ryoko deep inside. We'll get through this somehow. This isn't the dark ages. Science has conquered all sorts of obstacles recently. I know that you're still you in there."

She leaned her head against his arm and let him say all of the reassuring clichés he could think of. At the moment, it didn't matter whether or not anything he said was the slightest bit true. All Ryoko knew was that she needed to hear them. She felt Tenchi place a handkerchief in one of her hands, so she used it to dab at her eyes. "Why are you so nice to me?" she croaked.

"I lost you once," Tenchi answered with a gentle smile. "I don't know if I could take losing you again. I'm not going to give up, Ryoko, and neither is Ayeka, no matter what she says. We all want the same thing. We just want you back."

"I want me back too," she nodded as she tried to return her smile. "Tenchi, I can't control myself. It's like my emotions run away with me or something. Ayeka is right. I'm like a wild animal."

"You remember when Sakuya's father was a slave to his opium habit, don't you?" he asked her. "We managed to help _him_. I'm sure we can do the same for you."

"Ugh," Ryoko shuddered. "It was horrible! He got so sick when he went off that stuff I thought he was going to die!"

"You and Ayeka were pillars of strength," Tenchi told her. "The way you two filled in for Kiyone when she had to go back to the hospital, and kept little Sakuya distracted. I was proud of both of you."

"Little Sakuya's not so little anymore," Ryoko reminded him. "We're going to miss her coming out party 'cause we're way out here. She always had a crush on you. She'll be devastated when we don't show."

"She'll get over it," Tenchi assured her. "Right now, you need my help more than she does. I'm just glad she's out of all this."

"Yeah, me too," Ryoko forced herself to stop looking into Tenchi's dark, luminous eyes and look at the sun setting in the west. "If that little ally cat started making doe eyes at you, I don't know what I'd do… Oh Tenchi! Listen to me! How could I say such a thing? I'm not a bad person! Honestly I'm not!"

"I know, Ryoko. I know," he told her.

"W-what, what if I hurt someone?" she asked him.

"You won't hurt anyone," he assured her. "We'll just make sure that you only see people you care about until you start getting better. Nothing is going to happen. Out here we can control what happens better than in the city. We're going to get through this. You'll see."

"I hope so," she sighed as she put her head on his shoulder. Then she noticed that he had both of his arms around her, so she looked into his eyes. He was smiling! His calm reassuring smile radiated a power that the supernatural couldn't match. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, it's just that you remind me of the way you were before all of this happened," Tenchi said. "I'm just happy to see that no matter what's happened, you're still Ryoko. I think I'm getting used to your golden topaz eyes too."

Ryoko blushed, a magnificent feat for a vampire that hadn't been feasting on the blood of the living recently. Maybe she had gorged herself on mice in the pantry. Or maybe she was still a human being in every way that counted. She looked away, and then leaned in close to his face. "Tenchi I…"

His lips parted as if he as about to give her a kiss. Ryoko leaned in, and then drew back quickly. "What?" Tenchi asked.

Ryoko could hear Tenchi's beating heart, pumping the rich warm blood through his young and strong body. The sound was hypnotonic, causing her heart to race and her body to ache with hunger. All it would take is one tiny bite, and she would be in paradise… He would be flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood…

"I gotta go!" Ryoko leaped back and hovered in the air like a hot air balloon. "I gotta… um… go help Sasami clear the table!"

"Ryoko?" Tenchi asked. But it was too late. The cyan haired woman had vanished. Hopefully she was back in the house. He smiled when he realized that he was so concerned about her that he wasn't frightened by her display of supernatural power. Maybe he really could find the strength to get them all through this.

_Next: The Uninvited Guest_


	22. The Unexpected Guest

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Two: The Unexpected Guest_

At an elegant upper-class party in London, the wealthy had come to display their youth in the finest fashions a masked ball would allow. Watching the cream of the city's youth dance with each other under the ceaseless surveillance of their parents was Inspector Yosho of Scotland Yard. He was dressed in a tuxedo and held a domino mask in his hands, but since he wore spectacles he didn't bother to actually put the mask on. From his perch near a doorway he tried to keep an eye on the revelers, and one reveler in particular.

Nobuyuki entered awkwardly, still clad in his workman's clothes from two chapters earlier.

"I know that this is a costume party, but what are you supposed to be?" the gray haired inspector quipped.

"What? Are we Scotland Yard detectives in this chapter?" Nobuyuki groaned. "I knew this was going to happen!"

"Go find something appropriate to wear," Yosho instructed. "We'll start again when you get back."

"Right," Nobuyuki vanished through the door.

Yosho cupped his mouth with his hand and called out the door. "And remember, we're at a rich girl's coming out party, and her parents don't want a visible police presence, so don't show up dressed as a London Bobbie or something."

"Right Dad," Nobuyuki's voice called back.

The elderly inspector lit his pipe as he waited for Nobuyuki to return. After a few puffs of bluish-gray smoke, Nobuyuki entered wearing a tuxedo and a checkered domino mask over his glasses.

"Okay, Dad," Nobuyuki said. "What's going on in this chapter?"

"We are Inspector Yosho and his assistant Nobby of Scotland Yard," Yosho replied coolly. "We are here providing security at the coming out party of Miss Sakuya Smythe, the daughter of a wealthy London banker."

"Coming out?" Nobuyuki repeated. "What's that mean? Is she coming out of the closet or something?"

"No, it simply means that she is eligible to marry and the purpose of this party is to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select upper-class circle," the elderly inspector clarified. "Usually these things are held in the spring but since Miss Smythe's birthday was this month, her family decided to have a costume ball."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Nobuyuki asked. "I mean almost without exeption nearly all of the murders where the victims were found without any blood in 'em have always been people with Japanese ancestry."

"Yet not one of them has been a full-blooded Japanese," Yosho nodded. "Every single one of them has had a British parent too. It's puzzling. Did Doctor Watson ever identify those marks?"

"Yeah but you're not going to believe it," Nobby shrugged. "He said that he thinks those marks came from teeth."

"Teeth?"

"Yeah, it came to him during a trip to the dentist," Nobby continued. "He was looking at a display of dentures when he realized that the marks were about the same distance apart as the canines on human teeth."

"Human teeth?" Yosho frowned. "But that's impossible. Even if the teeth were sharp enough where did all the blood go? Each crime scene was the cleanest crime scene in the history of crime."

"I'm getting to that Dad," Nobby assured him. "It seems that back in '83 he and Mr. Holmes investigated a case of a mysterious death in Stoke Moran on the western border of Surrey. Turns out the murderer used a poisonous snake from India that used a venom that couldn't be found on any chemical test. The snake was a little thing, so its bite wasn't very noticable."

"If the serpent's fangs are as far apart as a man's canines that thing must be huge!" Yosho concluded. "How could anyone haul such a long snake around without being spotted? He would have to have it in a carrying case of some kind."

"I don't know," Nobby admitted. "Maybe he carries around a big cello case or something. It's just that Watson's story fits. The snake he told me about was an adder whose poison could kill in about ten seconds. What if someone was using a snake whose poison paralysed the victim and then sucked the blood out of him?"

"I've never heard of a snake like that," Yosho mused as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It sounds more like a spider."

"It would have to be a really big spider," Nobby shuddered. "What I don't understand is why Sakuya's Smythe's parents couldn't put off this coming out party. I mean, she fits the pattern of the victims perfectly. What is the deal with that? It's like advertising for another potential victim!"

"Miss Sakuya's personal saftey is nowhere as important as securing a good match for a daughter," Inspector Yosho answered dryly. "You know how it is, 'this could never happen to _my family_, just other people.' Besides, the family is suffering from that opium scandal if you remember. There are rumors that her father was an addict last year."

"But Miss Sakuya's parents know all of the other victims," Nobby insisted. "There aren't that many Japanese-English marriages in London. Over ninety percent of the victims have had fathers who served aboard the _HMS Pioneer _back in the '60's. A lot of the officers and crew brought home Japanese brides and started families."

"Yes, and they kept in touch with each other," Yosho nodded. "It seems that racism forced their wives and children to ignore class distinctions. Not everybody will socialize with some strange half-blooded foriegner."

"These murderers just have to be something from Japan," Nobby muttered. "Some Tong or someone who's good with exotic snakes and spiders. Something like that."

"Tongs are Chinese, Nobby," Yosho corrected.

"Okay, Yakuza then," Nobby corrected himself. "Did Scotland Yard know about the Yakuza in the 1890's? I know there were a lot of Indians and Chinese living in London during Victorian times but…"

"Now Nobuyuki," Katsuhito chided, "you know better than to break character."

"It's hard playing a bigoted westener," Nobuyuki complained. "I mean, I know a lot more about Japan than Nobby does but I gotta play some ignorant…"

"As long as we're breaking the fourth wall I'd like to ask you something," Katsuhito pushed his glasses back with one finger. "The author is trying to write this story using only _Tenchi Muyo_ characters if possible. I don't remember Sakuya. Was she from the manga?"

"Oh no," Nobuyuki shrugged. "She was from the third _Tenchi_ series, _Tenchi in Tokyo_, or as we called it in Japan, _Shin Tenchi Muyo_. She was Tenchi's girlfriend when he went to Tokyo, remember?"

"I don't recall having any scenes with her," Katsuhito admitted sheepishly. "If you remember, your part was bigger in that series than mine. What was she like?"

"Oh she was the sweetest little thing," Nobuyuki replied. "Happy, cheerful, innocent. She didn't throw fireballs or blow up the house or anything. You would have liked her."

"I don't remember her joining the cast at the end of the series," the old man scratched his head, "but of course I wasn't in the last scene. Did she join the rest of the girls at the end?"

Nobuyuki paled. "Dad, don't you remember? Not to put too many spoilers out there or anything, but Sakuya… died."

"And what happened after she came back to life?" the old man asked.

"She never came back to life," his son-in-law shook his head sadly. "She just… died. End of story. Tenchi came back to the same cast of women from _Tenchi Universe _at the end. Sakuya didn't join the household.

"Wait a minute!" Katsuhito suddenly became alert. "Are telling me that in _Tenchi in Tokyo_ Sakuya died… and _didn't_ come back to life?"

"That's right," Nobuyuki said hestitantly as his mind raced to determine what had alarmed the old man.

"So Sakuya goes down in history as the only _Tenchi_ girl who's actually _died_?" the old exclaimed in alarm. "As in 'died' died? As in 'permanent casualty'?"

"I guess… does Achika, Mayuka or Haruna count?" Nobuyuki scratched his head, but then his eyes widened in realization. "Hey… if Sakuya Smythe is being played by the only girl from a _Tenchi_ show to die then that means that…"

"…it is almost a certainty that the murderer has her in his sights!" Inspector Yosho finished. "Quickly, we've got to find her! We can't let her out of our sight for a moment!"

"Uh, are we back in character again?" Nobuyuki asked sheepishly. "Because…"

"Yes, Nobby, we are back in character," the elderly inspector snapped as his eyes scanned the crowd of revelers for Sakuya Smythe. "Blast! Do you see her?"

"Everybody is wearing masks," Nobby groaned. "It's hard to tell who people are unless you get right up next to them!"

"A masquerade ball!" Yosho snorted in disgust. "I don't care if it _is_ October! How stupid could that girl's parents be? We'll split up! Find out if Fuller and Yates have seen her. We've got to find her before it's too late!"

On a balcony, a pale young woman gazed out at the night while fingering a locket that around her neck. The girl removed the locket and then proceeded to open it in order to gaze at the picture of a young man she had placed inside the locket. "Oh Tenchi," the girl sighed. "Why aren't you here at my debutante ball? There's no sign of Ayeka or Kiyone either. Did Ryoko's death really hurt you that much? I wanted to show you the locket I got for my birthday… I put your picture in it…"

"Miss Sakuya Smythe?" a sinister voice asked.

"Oh?" the girl turned and focused her green eyes on a tall broad shouldered, handsome man in a purple frock coat and a green cape. As the man approached her, the gaslights in the sconces illuminating the balcony flickered ominously.

The light reflected off his dark hair, revealing green highlights. His sideburns were unnaturally long and became ponytails that nearly reached his shoulders, similar to Sakuya's own hairstyle. Unlike Sakuya's bangs, his hair was parted down the middle in a widow's peak. His cape had a high collar, making him appear to be priest or magician.

"Good evening, Miss Sakuya," the man said as he bowed and kissed her gloved hand. "I have been looking forward to meeting you. Why you look just like a princess tonight."

"Oh you flatter me sir," Sakuya laughed nervously. "But I can assure you, I'm not a princess."

"Don't be so sure," the green caped man said with a predatory smile. "Out of the hundreds of years that have passed you never know what bloodlines your family may have picked up. For all you know you could trace your ancestors back to King Arthur himself."

"Why sir," Sakuya blushed as she fingered her locket, "I don't know what to say."

"Why it could be that you and the Japanese Emperor have the same ancestor," the man said sardonically. "That would make you royalty to both the east and the west…"

"Why that's…" Sakuya paused. "My lord, I don't know what that is… Why are you saying such strange things?"

"Miss Sakuya, did you know that in the olden days the royal bloodlines made a pact and bound themselves to the land and its people?" he asked her as if he was a professor about to give a lecture. "It was considered a pagan practice but it endured even when Christianity conquered this isle."

Sakuya found herself backing away from this mysterious stranger who seemed to be able to walk forwards without taking a step. It was as if he simply glided towards her like his feet were on wheels. "That's fascinating my good sir, but it is hardly proper for the two of us to out here without a chaparone," she stammered, attempting to keep her tone formal. "Maybe we should continue this discussion inside?"

"That won't be necessary," the green cloaked man assured her. "I won't take up much of your time. I simply wanted to put my hypothesis to the test."

"Your hypothesis?" Sakuya repeated. "About my ancestors? How would you possibly test that?"

"Quite simply, by sampling your blood my dear," he smiled in triumph. "After all these centuries, I've developed a sensitive palate. I'll be able to tell if the blood of royalty flows through your veins, never fear."

"Excuse me, I think it's time I was leaving," Sakuya announced as she tried to marshal her courage, "and I suggest you do the same." She strode to the double doors that would lead back into the ballroom.

She was stopped by the stranger's cold iron grip on her arm. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that," he said condescendingly. "Not just yet. First I need to test my hypothesis."

"I'll scream," she warned him.

"I'm afraid it will do little good," he smiled sardonically. "Before meeting you on the balcony, I took the percaution of casting an enchantment over this house to ensure our privacy. With the mere concentration of my will, I can cast a shroud over the minds of those inside that will render your screams inperceptible. They will not even see you until I allow it."

"I don't believe you," she hissed.

He shrugged in amusement. "Then go ahead and scream. You can test your hypothesis while I test mine."

Sakuya did scream, but the stranger was right; no one in the building heard her. "Tenchi…!"

Strangely enough, miles away in his bedroom in Ayeka's country house outside Glastonbury, Tenchi Harker seemed to hear her. He had turned in early but now awoke in a cold sweat and groggily looked around trying to determine who had called his name. Concerned, he lit a candle and decided to walk the house to make sure everyone was safe.

Back in London, Sakuya's locket fell out of her limp hand and tumbled off the balcony to bounce off the front walk. The lid flew off as it hit the ground, exposing the tiny tintype of Tenchi Harker. The image of the young solicitor was partially obsured by a single drop of a thick crimson liquid.

_Next: Blood is Thicker Than Water_


	23. Blood is Thicker Than Water

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Blood is Thicker Than Water_

Sasami was floating in the middle of absolute darkness, dressed in nothing but her bedclothes. She was helpless. "Tsunami?" she called out her patron saint, Saint Sara of Wales, also known as St. Tsunami, the patron saint of orphans whose parents were lost at sea. "Where are you Tsunami? I'm scared!" she whined.

Sakuya Smythe fell silently past the girl in the darkness, and landed in a crumpled heap upon white surface. A light from an unknown source created a spotlight, illuminating her lifeless body. Before the child's horrified eyes, a pool of blood appeared underneath Sakuya's still form, growing until the crimson liquid obscured most of the white surface the debutante was lying on. Snowflakes fell softly, but neither Sakuya nor the sanguine puddle was obscured in the least.

"I'm frightened!" Sasami cried. "Oh no! Sakuya! Speak to me!" Sasami was still floating in the air, her feet dangling about a foot or two above the ground. There was no way for the child to get any traction in order to move closer or get further away.

Stepping out of the darkness was a white haired man. The man was tall, his broad shoulders cloaked by an olive green cape. Under his billowing cape his form was hidden in shadow. Although clean-shaven, his sideburns were so long they drooped down to his shoulders like two ponytails. His bloodless face was deathly white. Dark, round-lensed pince-nez perched on the bridge of his nose, and his face held no expression. Sasami screamed as the man reached out for her…

Sasami awoke crying, waking up Ayeka in the process.

Earlier that night the group had decided on living arrangements. Sasami was afraid to sleep alone, so Ayeka let her sleep in her room. Mihoshi was afraid to sleep alone too, so she and Kiyone shared a guest room. Deep down, Kiyone was glad to share her room with someone but wouldn't admit it. Tenchi, as the only male guest had a room to himself, and not only could he not share a room but couldn't even express a desire to. Washu had so many books, relics, and pseudoscientific tools that she easily claimed a room for herself. To be honest, most of the other guests were a little leery of her. Ryoko, the unspoken source of their fears had her own room of course, with dustpans attached to the window shutters and a broom placed on the outside of the door to seal her in at night. Although no one wanted to admit it, they had a feeling that Ryoko was more dangerous at night.

"Sasami?" Ayeka asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What is it? Are you all right?"

"Ayeka…" Sasami sobbed from her bed. "Something awful happened to Sakuya… I think she's hurt…"

"You shouldn't say things like that Sasami," the heiress gently scolded as she rose from her bed and put on a voluminous pink robe to keep herself warm. She walked over and sat on the child's bed and put her arms around her to console her. "Everything is going to be okay. Sakuya is safe back in London. Nothing is going to happen to her."

"Ryoko was safe back in London too," Sasami pointed out.

Ayeka bit her lip and looked away as she hugged Sasami. She didn't want to tell the child about the rash of murders that the _Times_ had covered. So far every victim had one British parent and one Japanese parent. Nearly every one was a descendent of the officers and crew of the _HMS Pioneer_, her father's old ship. It was one of the factors that convinced everyone to flee London and retreat to the country.

A knock at the door heralded Tenchi's voice. "Is everything all right in there?" the young lawyer asked.

"Yes," Ayeka called. "Sasami just had a nightmare, that's all."

"Is it okay if I come in?" he asked.

Sasami looked at Ayeka through hopeful, tear-filled eyes. Ayeka nodded. "Yes, you can come on in," the heiress called. "It's all right, we're decent."

The handsome solicitor opened the door and stepped inside. He wore a brown bathrobe over his pajamas and was carrying a candle in a holder. "Sorry to intrude, but I couldn't sleep and took a walk around the house. I heard crying, is anything wrong?"

"I had a nightmare," Sasami sighed bashfully.

Tenchi smiled and sat on the other side of Sasami's bed. He patted the child's hand gently. "That's all right, Sasami. So did I. I guess this Ryoko business is getting to all of us."

"You too?" Sasami seemed surprised.

"Yes," Tenchi laughed. "Me too. We've all been through a lot. Of course we're going to have nightmares. I'm just glad that you and the others are right down the hall if anything scares me."

"Tenchi?" Sasami asked. "You get scared?"

"Of course," he nodded. "I dreamed that one of you was in trouble and calling out my name. I can't really sleep until I check up on all of you."

"Oh," Sasami blushed and smiled in spite of herself. Then she looked around. "Where is Ryo-ohki?"

"That's a good question, I don't see her anywhere," Tenchi said as he looked at the floor. "Maybe she got out when I opened the door. I better go look for her."

"I'll stay here with Sasami, in case she comes back," Ayeka offered while marveling at Tenchi's ability to calm the young housemaid. He would make such a good father someday. In the meantime, it was up to the heiress to see if she could be a good mother. "Sasami, do you need to go the little girl's room?"

"Yes please," she murmured.

Tenchi continued down the hall and knocked on Doctor von Washu's door. "Doctor von Washu? Are you okay?"

"Go away before I kill you," snarled Washu's cranky voice. "I'm trying to sleep, you idiot!"

"All right, I guess she's okay…" Tenchi muttered to himself as he continued down the hall. To be honest, he didn't know the little scientist very well. She could be tetchy when she wakes up, or she could be possessed by demons, he'd never know the difference.

He knocked on Mihoshi and Kiyone's door. He heard a muffled cry and then a shaky "Who's there?" from Kiyone.

"It's me Kiyone, I was just checking up on you," Tenchi assured her.

"Oh, Tenchi," Kiyone sighed in relief. "You scared me. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine. I'm just checking on everyone. How is Mihoshi?"

"She's sleeping like a log," Kiyone assured her. "Thanks Tenchi, we're good."

"Okay," Tenchi said as he stepped away from their door.

Now was the moment of truth. It was time to knock on the door at the end of the hall. The door that contained someone who was neither living nor dead but a little bit both. Someone whose very existence filled the house with a feeling of dread at the same time it gave everyone hope. The door that led to Ryoko's room.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard an angry yowl. He let go of the breath he was holding when he realized the noise came from Ryo-ohki, and not the woman behind the door. He bent over and let the light from his candle illuminate the little brown fuzzball.

Ryo-ohki's hair was standing up and her long, rabbit-like ears were flat against her back. It looked like she had cornered a mouse, but closer examination revealed that the little cabbit was just hissing at Ryoko's door.

Fastened to the door with metal brackets was a broom, a ward that Washu has assured them would keep the vampire inside even if she could walk through walls. Tenchi swallowed and summoned his courage. He knocked on the door. "Ryoko? It's me, Tenchi," he said weakly. "I'm just taking a walk of the house and making sure everyone's all right. Are you in there? How are you doing? Have plenty to read?"

The hair on the back of Tenchi's neck stood up as he heard the vampire's sultry voice call back to him. "Tenchi… Tenchi my love… Open the door and we shall be together… We will be together for eternity you and I…"

It was just as they feared. Apparently the supernatural forces that infested her were more powerful at night and she was almost completely vampire now. Hopefully she would regain her humanity in the morning.

Ryo-ohki meowed in fear and ran off leaving Tenchi alone with Ryoko's seductive voice.

"Tenchi darling…" Ryoko's voice cooed in his ear as if she was out in the hall with him already. "Open the door my love… Open the door and share yourself with me… Your flesh will be my flesh… Your blood will be my blood… Nothing shall keep us apart again…"

Tenchi felt sleepy as his hand reached for the doorknob. It would be so easy to let her out, so easy to give himself up to her… It really seemed like more effort to resist than give in really, and Ryoko was very persuasive…

Suddenly, Tenchi was awake and alert. What was he doing? Was he insane? If he opened that door it would be the end of him and everyone in this house, including Ryoko! What had he been thinking? He hadn't been thinking, had he? He had let the demon that had piggybacked itself on Ryoko's body and soul do the thinking for him, hadn't he? Well not anymore! It had Ryoko but it wasn't going to get him!

He pulled his hand away from the doorknob angrily. "Sorry Ryoko, I can't do that. You know I can't," he said, raising his voice.

"C'mon, open up," Ryoko pleaded sweetly. "Pretty please? I'm awfully thirsty. C'mon, be a pal!"

"Get yourself a glass of water," Tenchi said dryly.

"Blood is thicker than water," Ryoko quipped. "Okay, I'm sorry. That was just a test. A test to see if you'd open the door if I vamped out again. Now come on in, I wanna talk to you."

"What about?" the young solicitor said skeptically.

"Uh, you know, stuff," Ryoko stammered. "Personal stuff. Really, really, really personal stuff. You know, stuff."

"Ah-huh," Tenchi nodded sarcastically. "Right. Personal stuff. Well it's going to have to wait for tomorrow. See you in the morning."

"No! It can't wait 'til the morning!" Ryoko exclaimed. "I'm hungry right now! Uh, I mean, what I've got to say just isn't going to wait. Come on Tenchi, open the door! You love me, don't you?"

"That's right, Ryoko," he said flatly, "and that's why I'm not going to open the door."

"Come on, Tenchi," Ryoko whined. "Can't you hear me in your mind? Aren't my thoughts overriding your own?"

"Yeah, I can hear you, but I'm not so simpleminded that I'm going to listen," Tenchi said coldly. "You're going to have to find someone with a really weak will if you expect to get the door open that way, and after what you've put us through, all of us have gotten pretty tough."

"Come on, Tenchi!" Ryoko pleaded. "Open the door! Pleeeeze? I promise I'll be good. I'll only bite you a little, I promise!"

"Sorry, Ryoko, can't take the risk," Tenchi shook his head.

"I know!" the vampire exclaimed. "I'll bite everyone in the house and I'll take only a little! That way I won't have to drain anybody dry!"

"Not going to happen," Tenchi said sternly.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko commanded. "Open this door! You cannot resist me!"

"Yes I can, Ryoko," the young lawyer crossed his arms. "Well talk again tomorrow. Hopefully you'll be feeling better then."

"No wait!" Ryoko's voice sounded desperate. "Don't go away! Don't leave me alone!" she whined like a forlorn child. "Uh… you don't have give yourself up to me. We can just talk. About stuff. We can discuss who's going to win the County Championship. Talk about politics and the international situation. Debate the advantages of you surrendering yourself to me and allowing me to sup on your rich warm blood…"

"Goodnight, Ryoko," the solicitor said was he turned away from the door. "See you tomorrow."

"Fine! Be that way!" Ryoko fumed. "I didn't want to drink your blood anyway, you stinking ingrate!"

"You'll thank me later," Tenchi said as he walked away. "Goodnight, Ryoko."

Once the argument was over, Tenchi became worried. It was a good thing that everyone in the house had strong wills. If Ryoko had found some simpleminded fool it would have been a catastrophe!

Tenchi gasped as he saw Mihoshi walking down the hall holding an oil lamp. Ryo-ohki was biting the edge of her bathrobe and being dragged behind the empty-headed blonde despite the cabbit's heroic efforts to stop her.

"Hi Tenchi!" Mihoshi smiled. "I'm on my way to Ryoko's room. I'm going to let her out. Care to join me?"

"Let her out?" Tenchi repeated in disbelief. "Mihoshi, why would you want to do that?"

"Why _wouldn't_ I want to do that?" asked the confused blonde. "Ryoko wants me too. I can hear her. She's talking to me. Now she's telling me to slap myself in the face. OW!" Mihoshi staggered after she slapped herself and almost dropped her oil lamp. "Ryoko! That wasn't very nice!" the blonde frowned as she protested to the empty air. "Why did you tell me to do that for? Just for that I'm not letting you out tonight!" She turned around and walked back to the room she shared with Kiyone. The cabbit sighed in relief and loped off to Ayeka and Sasami's room.

Tenchi exhaled a breath he had been holding and leaned against the wall as his mind raced. Mihoshi was the weak link in the chain. Whatever had happened on her trip to Transylvania had shattered her mind and left her a broken shell of herself. They were going to have to take precautions.

* * *

"Why are you strapping me down to my bed, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked in trusting innocence.

"We're in a strange house," Kiyone lied as she fastened the blonde's restraints. "I don't want you rolling off your bed and hurting yourself."

"Okay," Mihoshi nodded, but it was obvious that she didn't quite understand. "Uh Kiyone, I can't move. I can't even reach the buckles. What if I have to visit the water closet?"

"Just wake me up, and I'll undo your straps for you," Kiyone smiled kindly. "Okay?"

"Okay, Kiyone," the blonde said sadly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Mihoshi."

_Next: Ayeka's Guardians_


	24. Ayeka's Guardians

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Four: __Ayeka's Guardians_

The sun rose over the peaceful countryside. After a brief headcount, the occupants of the house set about starting their day. As Mihoshi and Sasami cooked breakfast, Tenchi and Kiyone warily approached Ryoko's room. They opened the door and waited. Tenchi was holding a broom as if it was a quarterstaff. Kiyone held a revolver in her hands and had a toilet brush strapped to her belt. After a moment, Kiyone entered the room, holding her pistol in her hands before her as Tenchi followed.

The duo let loose a sigh of relief at the sound Ryoko's obnoxious snoring and soon found the vivacious vampire lying in her bed. Ryoko had obviously had tossed and turned in her sleep causing her blankets to come undone from the bed. Kiyone lowered her gun and straightened the vampire's covers.

"She must have had a hard night, poor thing," Kiyone announced.

"More likely a hard morning," Tenchi corrected. "She doesn't seem to get any sleep at night but she passes out at the first sign of dawn."

"Well she seems harmless enough when she wakes up," Kiyone said weakly, "until the sun goes down."

* * *

After the morning meal, Katsuhito and his son Nobuyuki continued cleaning out the cellar to make room for Washu's scientific equipment. At first Ayeka supervised the placement of the boxes and trunks brought up from the basement, but soon her curiosity got the better of her.

"Doctor von Washu?" the heiress said quietly as she crept down into the cellar. "Are you there? What is that noise?"

"Over here," Washu's nasal voice called out. To Ayeka's surprise, the little redhead was straddling one of the huge logs that were delivered yesterday. She wore a cap, a rather masculine blouse, a tie; a pair of short trousers called knickerbockers, knee high socks, and boots. The huge hand drill she was using made her seem even smaller and more childlike.

"What are you doing?" Ayeka asked as she put her hand to her bottom lip.

"Oh this?" Washu shrugged as she cleaned out the hole she had drilled in the wood. "I'm just working on my golems, or should I say, your guardians."

"_My_ guardians?" Ayeka asked. "Excuse me for asking, but what _is_ a golem anyway?"

"A golem is an animated being created entirely from inanimate matter," the little genius replied. "In Jewish folklore, they were created out of clay and served a rabbi as a guardian of the Jewish people, one of the most persecuted races in history." As she spoke the little genius climbed down a stepladder and walked over to the second log that was delivered yesterday.

She climbed a second stepladder and straddled the second log to scoot herself to its center and started drilling a second hole.

"They were a creation of those who were very holy and close to God," Washu grunted in exertion. "A very holy person was one who strove to approach God, and in that pursuit would gain some of the Creator's wisdom and power. One of these powers was the creation of life." Washu paused in her work and sighed. "Of course, no matter how holy a person became, a being created by that person would be a pale imitiation of a human being created by the Almighty."

"In what way?" the heiress asked, fascinated by the story.

"Well, the traditional golem is a mixed blessing," Washu shrugged. "The standard golem is an unintelligent automaton. If they are commanded to do something, they'll take the instructions literally. Combine that with their incredible strength and nigh indestructibility, and you have a geniune hazard on your hands."

"Oh my, what do we do?" Ayeka asked.

"Well, I hope to improve on the rabbi's formula," Washu smiled. "Instead of clay I'm fashioning my golems out of wood. My great grandfather, Victor Frankenstein attempted to beat God at his own game by making his out of flesh and bone and substituting faith with science. You know how that worked out."

"I thought the tale of Frankenstein was just a story," Ayeka commented.

"Oh no, the narrative may have been invented, but the actual story is based off actual events," Washu explained. "There really _is_ a Castle Frankenstein in Germany you know. Oh no, old Grandpa Vic created his golem out of the body parts of six dead men the same way I created Ryo-ohki out of two dead housepets. My golem is going to made out of wood and I won't be using a human brain."

"Ew," Ayeka paled at the thought of sewing together dead bodies. "Um, what are the advantages to making a golem out of wood?"

"Numerous, for starters it's easier to animate," Washu paused in her drilling to shovel out sawdust with her hand. "Like flesh, wood was once alive and is more conduscive to holding a life force than clay or stone. Secondly, plants have always been assoicated as an allergen to vampires."

"Really? I didn't know that," Ayeka was fascinated.

"Oh yeah," Washu nodded. "For example, In Eastern and Central Europe following a burial of a person who might become undead, seeds and organic grains were sometimes placed in the coffin, in the grave, over the grave, on the paths from the cemetery to the homes of the living, and on the thresholds and roofs of the homes." Washu finished scooping out the sawdust and continued using her enormous hand drill on the wood.

"Hm," Ayeka prodded.

"Apparently the vampire has to stop and either count or eat each seed," the little genius continued. "Poppy seedsare especially useful because their inherent narcotic nature causes a vampire to wish to rest in its grave instead of walk around biting people. Accounts exist of supposed vampires having their caskets filled with poppy seeds to keep them in their graves."

"How interesting," the heiress commented. "Please continue."

"In some parts of Romania, garlic is supposed to ward away vampires, although I suspect that it is an allergen to a specific strain rather than a universal allergen to the species."

"Oh yes, Mihoshi and I have bought lots of garlic," Ayeka nodded.

"Wild thorny roses and other spiny plants have been placed around coffins to impede a vampire's progress out of the tomb," Washu continued. "Thorny briars have been used to bind a corpse to prevent it from leaving the coffin," The genius grunted as she drilled deep into the wood. "In eastern Serbia, a small hawthorn peg is driven into a grave beside the stone to keep a dead body from becoming a vampire."

"It's a good thing we're out here in the country," Ayeka commented. "Out here there are all sorts of plants we can use."

"And of course, let's not forget the most effective way to get rid of a vampire," Washu smiled as she scooped sawdust out of the hole. "The wooden stake through the heart."

"Wood," Ayeka nodded in realization.

"That's right," Washu grinned mischievously. "I've had luck with a crossbow one time. I used a wooden quarrel, not a metal one just to be on the safe side. If you think that a tent stake will be effective, wait until a sharpened sword goes through one! It should slice him open like a loaf of bread!"

"A sword?" Ayeka squinted in confusion. "I thought you were making a golem."

"But these two will be extra special," Washu bragged. "I'm going to carve them in the likeness of samurai warriors, complete with armor and weapons and everything!" She paused to stroke her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose their _katana_s will be closer to _bokken_s, that's what they call the practice swords made of wood, y'know. Still, they should be useful for handling any vampires that come our way." She looked down at Ayeka. "Hand me that urn will ya?"

"What? These?" Ayeka looked around to spy two ornate cyllinders made of wood resting on a worktable. Thin intricate lines of gold crisscrossed them diagonally. Each was capped by a convex lid made of colored jade. One was red, and one was blue. "But aren't these the funeral urns of Azaka and Kamadakie?"

"Go to the head of the class, Ayeka," Washu smiled mischievously. "If I can pull this off I will succeed where my ancestors have failed! I'll be able to create intelligent golems that will be perfectly loyal and have minds of their own!"

"Er, isn't that a little dangerous?" Ayeka asked as she handed Washu the urn with the blue lid. "If the golem has a mind of its own, won't it go crazy or something?"

"It might if I simply summoned a formless spirit from beyond to animate it," Washu conceded as she slid the cyllinder into the hole she had drilled, "but I'm going to use the spirits of your ancestors to animate these guys! According to legend, Saint Azaka and Saint Kamidake promised to return from the afterlife if a Christian son or daughter of theirs was ever threatened by the supernatural." The little genius tapped the urn down with a small mallet with a rubber head. "As their only decesendant living in England, that's you. You have a vampire living under your roof and you went to Sunday School. Hopefully, that should be enough to get them to play ball and not seek vengenance on their creator (namely me)."

As she spoke, the four-foot redhead hoped off the log she had been working on and climbed the stepladder to get on the other log she had been drilling in. "In the past, the same faith that allowed a Jewish rabbi to create a golem allowed him to control it," Washu explained. "My great-grandad, Victor tried the same thing with science, but that didn't work out so good." She scooted up to the hole she had drilled eariler and extended her hand to Ayeka.

"No, I suppose it didn't," Ayeka mused as she handed the scientist the second cyllinder.

"You'll notice no problems with Ryo-ohki," Washu said as she slid the cyllinder into place. "Both animals used to make her were Sasami's pets. Therefore, Ryo-ohki is Sasami's pet. Sasami is such an innocent and saintly girl that Ryo-ohki exhibits no weird behavior that exposes the child's dark side. Between you and me, I don't think she has much of a dark side."

"What safeguards do you have for these two, Doctor von Washu?" Ayeka asked as the miniature metaphysician hammered at the cyllinder with a rubber mallet.

"Well, I'm not going to link these two with _my_ twisted personality," Washu assured her. "Believe it or not, there's a lot of nasty stuff in my pastthat could come back to haunt us if I linked them to my soul. So I'm going to link them to yours."

"How very… Excuse me?" Ayeka's eyes widened and blinked in concern. "Did I hear you right? What's this about a link with my soul?"

"Oh didn't I tell you?" Washu said as she shifted her legs to sit sidesaddle on the log. "Every golem shares a mental link with its creator. That allows golem to understand its orders and know who its creator is. It really backfired for Grandpa Victor. The monster knew exactly how to get under his skin and how to hit him where it hurt the most!"

"If you don't mind, I'd prefer not to have any supernatural creatures have a mental link with me, guardian or otherwise!" Ayeka frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"Don't be a baby," Washu scolded. "I've worked it all out. Azaka and Kamidake vowed to return to protect you. By linking them with your life force instead of mine you will metaphysically be their dominator, not me. They will obey your commands and be able to understand and possibly speak the English language. Since they will be fulfilling their ancient vow, they will accept you as their liege, just as a clay golem accepts the rabbi. It's foolproof!" the genius smiled in triumph, then she frowned at the heiress. "Happy now?"

"No, I'll bet that's exactly what your great-grandfather said," the heiress retorted testily.

"Eh, you're right, he probably did," Washu shrugged. "Hmm," She put her hand on her chin, "I should probably do the actual carving at the site of animation. If I sculpt them beforehand they'll be fragile before the animation process toughens them up. I'd better go survey the site."

"What's the matter with just animating them right here?" Ayeka asked, even though she was no longer willing to allow the mad scientist to create any golems at all.

"Well, I gotta find a spot with a lot of chi flowing through it," the metaphysician replied. "Without a source of life energy, I can't bring them to life. They'll just be wooden statues."

"And where are you going to find this source of life?" Ayeka asked warily.

"I'm going to get it from the surrounding area," Washu replied. "Between Glastonbury Tor, Wearyall Hill, and Glastonbury Abbey, I think our best bet is the abbey."

"I don't follow," Ayeka frowned.

"Holy sites are chock full of spiritual energy," Washu explained. "Chi, Ki, life force, supernatural mojo, whatever you want to call it. Location is the most important part of real estate, and that's especially true when you're trying to mix ancient sorcery with modern science. It may not be Stonehenge, but Glastonbury is easily one of the most magical sites in England."

"Oh, I was afraid that you'd sacrifice me on a pagan altar or something," Ayeka exhaled in relief.

"The only sacrifice will be a symbolic one," Washu assured her. "We'll probably need some kind of ritual to bind the golems to you so they can be your guardians. If this works we'll have two nigh indestructible warriors to protect us from the supernatural, not to mention two powerful orderlies to restrain Ryoko if she becomes too much to handle."

* * *

In the meantime, a forlorn knocking could be heard from Ryoko's door. "Hello?" Ryoko sobbed. "Is anybody there? Please don't leave me in here all alone! Von Washu! Are you there? Tenchi? Is anybody there? Please, somebody let me out! I can't stand it…"

_Next: __Being a Vampire Bites_


	25. Being a Vampire Bites

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

**_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker_**

**_Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra_**

**_Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu_**

**_Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray _**

**_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris _**

**_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield_**

**_Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward_**

**_Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato_**

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Five: __Being a Vampire Bites_

"It's about time you guys let me out of there," Ryoko complained. "Geeze! It's not like I was going to murder all of your guys in your beds or something! What?" the vampire's eyes narrowed suspiciously when she saw the strange looks on her companion's faces.

"Um, you weren't really yourself last night," Tenchi said as he scratched the back of his neck and looked away.

"What do you mean, 'I wasn't really myself?'" Ryoko queried carefully.

"Uh…" Kiyone looked away uncomfortably. How could she tell her that last night she attempted to hypnotize Tenchi and Mihoshi into freeing her from her room so she could feast on the blood of the inhabitants? "You were oh… having nightmares," she lied. "That's it. You were having nightmares."

"She _was_?" Mihoshi squeaked. "Poor thing! Don't feel bad, Ryoko. Kiyone had to strap _me_ down to my bed so I wouldn't roll off during the night and hurt myself."

Ryoko's shoulders sagged and her face went from suspicious to depressed at that remark. Tenchi knew from their conversation on the roof yesterday that Ryoko was just as concerned about controlling her actions as the rest of them were. If she knew that she had attempted to take over his mind so she could feast on their blood it would devastate her.

"Well…" Ayeka announced in her 'take charge' voice, "Now that you're up let's get some breakfast in you. I haven't actually seen you _eat_ since we started this enterprise."

"'This enterprise'?" Ryoko repeated disdainfully. "I'm not some business deal, Ayeka."

"You know what I mean," the heiress retorted in her best condescending tone. "The sooner you get better, the sooner we can return to London. I presume that you don't want to spend the rest of your life hunting rodents in the pantry while the rest of us eat Yorkshire pudding do you?"

"You're just lucky that I have enough self-control not to go after the _big_ rats, Ayeka!" the vampire growled as her face distorted and her hair stood up on end. "Where do you get off saying things like that?

"Come on, don't give me that 'Pity poor me, I'm doomed' claptrap," Ayeka crossed her arms and didn't back down. "The mirrors prove that you're still alive and not some monster. It's just a matter of time until we find the cure. In the meantime we might as well treat the symptoms if we want to make life bearable. You aren't going to get any better if you weaken your resistance by starving yourself. Now get in there and _eat_." The heiress pointed imperiously down the hallway to the dining room.

Ryoko huffed in frustration and dragged her feet down the hall. After she left, the others let out a breath they had been holding.

Now that Ryoko was out of the room, Ayeka was shaking like a leaf. "I wasn't too hard on her, was I?" the heiress asked.

"I don't know," Tenchi scratched his head as Kiyone and Mihoshi walked away. "Maybe she _needs_ tough love," he offered.

"Maybe," Ayeka nodded, thinking that it wasn't wise to upset a hungry vampire. Why _did_ Washu have to leave so soon anyway?

* * *

"Here you go, Ryoko!" Sasami ignored the vampire's irritated scowl as she pushed a serving tray into the dining room. "I thought it would be a good idea to start you off on an all meat diet until you're feeling better." She pulled the lid off the serving tray to reveal her meal. "Chicken soup if you're still on a liquid diet, with sausages, bacon, and kippers if you're up to solid foods. I didn't think you'd be interested in the rest of it yet."

"You're probably right," Ryoko sighed sadly, then she smiled evilly as she spied Ryo-ohki balanced on top of Sasami's white maid's cap. "Hey, uh, I don't suppose we could add your little rabbit thing to the entrée? There's no need to cook it, I could eat it live…"

"Meow!" the trembling little cabbit's hair stood up on its back as its eyes bulged fearfully.

"Ryoko, that's mean," Sasami frowned indignantly. "Ryo-ohki's part of the family! How could you say such a mean thing?" She took the furry cabbit off her head and cuddled her to her chest. "There, there, Ryo-ohki, Ryoko didn't mean it honest…"

"I know, I'm sorry," Ryoko sighed as she looked back at her meal in disappointment. For some reason, live prey was more enticing than a home cooked meal. She felt so weak that she decided to try to shove some of it down even if it didn't look appetizing. She picked up a spoon to start on the soup when she noticed Kiyone sit down at the table with a fountain pen and a sheaf of blank papers. "What?" the vampire asked the teal-haired doctor.

"I'm recording my observations to monitor your treatment," Kiyone explained. "Don't worry about me, just enjoy your meal."

"Why did you guys wait until _after_ breakfast to unlock my door?" Ryoko asked. "It's almost noon! Why couldn't I eat breakfast with the rest of you?"

"Um, Doctor von Washu and I want to see what foods you can digest before you eat meals with the rest of us," Kiyone answered. "Trust me, it will be more pleasant for everybody."

"Hey!" Ryoko exclaimed, causing the delicious doctor to jump in her seat. "You embarrassed to eat at the same table with me, is that it?"

"No, Ryoko, it's just that right now some of your meals can be… nauseating," Kiyone admitted. When she saw the dark look on Ryoko's face she added, "Besides, what if you had a bad reaction to normal food? Von Washu and I need to be alert and ready and not wrapped up in our own dinners don't we?"

Ryoko's face indicated that she wasn't convinced.

Kiyone sighed. "Look it's going to be stressful for everyone. Sometimes the doctor needs a meal away from their patients in order to function. You may be my friend, Ryoko, but right now you're my patient. Let's try to make this more pleasant for everybody okay?"

Ryoko grumbled to herself before lifting the soup bowl to her mouth in order slurp loud and obnoxiously.

Kiyone sighed again. The observations she was writing down were suspect since Ryoko knew she was being observed and resented it. It would be hard to tell what was the vampire's baseline behavior and how much was simply Ryoko acting up out of spite. Oh well, at least Ayeka and the others knew better than to enter the dining room while Ryoko was in this mood. This way, they wouldn't introduce a random element.

At that moment a high-pitched cry was heard from the kitchen and Mihoshi rushed out clutching her hand. "Kiyone!" the blonde sobbed. "I cut my finger in the kitchen and it's really bleeding! What do I do, it's getting blood all over the place!"

Ryoko stopped picking at her food and stared at the bleeding blonde like a cat that had spotted a mouse.

"It's so red, and it will stain my dress! What do I do?" Mihoshi sniveled.

"Calm down, let me take a look at it…" Kiyone stood up and clutched Mihoshi's forearm to examine her injury. She noticed Ryoko staring at them out of her peripheral vision and then gagged in fear when realization set in. "Mihoshi!" she ordered. "Get out of here! Take your bleeding finger with you and go away!"

"But you're a doctor…" Mihoshi whined. "I've been injured! Don't you have a hypocritical oath to? Hey!" she protested as Kiyone pulled on her arm to drag her out of the room. "What are you doing, Kiyone? Don't pull on my arm, it's been injured enough! Hey!"

"Come on you idiot," Kiyone growled as she forced the dizzy blonde into the hall. "You know better than to bleed in a room with Ryoko in it!"

"I didn't mean to interrupt Ryoko's meal, but I was _bleeding_!" Mihoshi explained as they entered a bathroom. "I'm sorry but when I saw all that blood I just panicked!"

"You'll panic even more if Ryoko decides to make you her late morning snack!" Kiyone said through clenched teeth. "What are you, stupid? Ryoko's fighting an addiction here! Would you drink beer before an alcoholic?"

"Well sure, if I was really thirsty," the blonde said without thinking.

"Even if there was a possibility that the guy would bash your head in to drink it himself?" Kiyone sneered. "Come on, Mihoshi, think! Use that noodle of yours! You're not that dumb!"

"There's someone around here that would bash our heads in for a drink of beer?" Mihoshi asked. "Oh my! We better warn the others!"

"Why do I even try?" Tears trickled out of Kiyone's eyes.

* * *

Back in the dining room, Ryoko lost all interest in her meal and could only gaze in the direction that Mihoshi and Kiyone had disappeared off to.

"Hello, Ryoko, are you done with your food?" Sasami said as she rolled in an empty serving tray. "Are you ready for me to clear the table? You sure left a lot of food on your plate. You barely touched your kippers. Was everything all right for you?"

Ryoko turned back to the child with a strange hungry look on her face. "Sure Sasami… everything was fine. Say, you look like your face is dirty, lean forward and let me get it."

"Mreow!" Ryo-ohki hissed protectively from atop Sasami's head.

Ryoko extended her arm and with one finger flicked the little cabbit off the girl's head.

"Mew!" the cabbit cried as it was hurled back into the kitchen.

"Ryoko… are you all right?" the child asked timidly. "You're acting funny… Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What's the matter? Am I looking at you strangely?" the vampire asked with false innocence. "Look into my eyes. Take a good long look. Can you tell me if you see something weird going on in there?"

"Why yes, I…" Sasami's bubblegum pink eyes widened and the child became as still as a statue. The little maid's mouth was partially open, but she didn't make a sound.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel," Ryoko smirked under her breath, but she didn't break eye contact with the girl. "Sasami, your collar seems tight," the vampire cooed in a louder voice. "Let me loosen it for you…"

Ryoko reached out and clasped the child by the shoulder while her other hand fumbled at Sasami's collar. "Ow!" The sound of sizzling bacon accompanied the vampire's cries as she jumped back and sucked on her fingers, dancing a comical jig in reaction to the pain. "Dammit! What just happened?" She blew on her reddened digits.

As Ryo-ohki loped back into the room, Sasami shook her head to clear it. "What happened?" she asked out loud before her eyes focused on the injured vampire. "Ryoko? Are you okay? Did you hurt your hands? You better let me see them."

Before Ryoko could react the underage housemaid walked over and grasped her hands in order to examine them. The sound of bacon frying over a hot stove was heard again and Ryoko screamed so loud that Sasami jumped away in fright. "Owwwwww! Dammit! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Ryoko!" gasped a worried Sasami. "Are you okay? Do you need to wash your hands off in water?" she asked as she tugged on her sleeve. "I can…"

"No!" Ryoko shouted. "Don't touch me! Don't touch me, Sasami! You've got something on you that really hurts me!"

"Oh," tears welled up in Sasami's eyes. "I'm sorry, Ryoko. I've been working really hard. I must have cleaners on me or something."

"It's okay," Ryoko tried to regain control of herself enough to be able to console her. "You're doing your best; you didn't know…"

"Do you want me to clear your table?" the child asked as Ryo-ohki jumped up to land on her head.

"Huh? Naw, I might as well try to choke this stuff down," the vampire said as she took a bite out of a cold greasy sausage. "Blech," she gagged as tears trickled out of her eyes.

"Is everything all right?" Kiyone said as she and Mihoshi reentered the room. "We heard screaming."

"I think I hurt Ryoko," Sasami said contritely.

"It wasn't your fault, kiddo," Ryoko muttered.

"Oh my!" Mihoshi gasped. "This is a new development. Where is Doctor von Washu? She should be here!"

"I think she said something about going out to Glastonbury Abbey to survey the site," Kiyone replied.

"What? Is she going to perform an exorcism on me or something?" Ryoko asked dryly.

"It couldn't hurt," Kiyone shrugged.

* * *

Meanwhile in the ruins of the ancient abbey, Doctor von Washu had commandeered Katsuhito and Nobuyuki. As the elderly Japanese caretaker and his son waited to unload the massive logs from the wagon they watched the little redhead take measurements. Rather than use a folding wooden carpenter's ruler, she used a longer version of the cloth measuring tape favored by tailors.

Glastonbury Abbey caught fire in 1184 and had been sacked and looted during the reign of Henry the Eighth centuries later. After that it remained in the hands of the crown before it was sold to private hands to be used as a quarry. The bare stone walls had no ceiling and the ancient edifice was open to the air. Green grass grew where naives and pews once were, but at least the altar was still there. All in all, the perfect place to carve two statues out of wood and perform heretical version of a Hebrew ceremony.

"Hm," the little scientist muttered to herself. "Rather than focus the primal energies at King Arthur's tomb, I'll have Ayeka stand atop the high altar and place the wooden statues on either side of it. That should focus the energy through Ayeka's body and bind the golems to her. Piece of cake!" The little scientist erupted into maniacal laughter.

_Next: Ryoko's Corset_


	26. Ryoko's Corset

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Six: __Ryoko's Corset_

Meanwhile upstairs in her bedroom, Ryoko was confronting one of the most difficult challenges a Victorian lady could face: getting dressed.

"C'mon, Mihoshi!" Ryoko grunted as she grimaced at the full-length mirror set up in her room. "Pull!"

"I'm pulling Ryoko!" the struggling blonde gasped as she pulled on Ryoko's corset strings. "But do you really need to lace your corset so tight?"

"Hell yes!" Ryoko exclaimed. "You guys seem to think that I'm some kind of savage beast; well I'll show you that I can be more ladylike than all of you! I'm wearing the corset, the bustle, the whole deal! I don't to need to breathe as much as you guys so I might as well take advantage of it. Now pull, Mihoshi! Pull! Pull…!"

Thanks to the insane complexity of Victorian undergarments, it was nearly impossible for a proper lady to dress herself. She needed help. While living like a wild animal as a vampire, Ryoko hadn't had anyone to help her get dressed, so her preference for dressing gowns and her mother's kimonos was understandable. Now as she attempted to rejoin Victorian culture, she wanted to dress the part. Mihoshi was helping her, for there were no female servants with the requisite strength for the corset Ryoko had selected.

"Wow!" Ryoko's eyes widened at the mirror as the blonde continued her heroic efforts. "Just look at these puppies, Mihoshi!" the vampire exclaimed while admiring her bulging bosom. "They look like two soccer balls painted white and placed under a blanket or something!" (She would have called them footballs, but thanks to American football the term is too ambiguous.) "Take a look at them! The girls are so round and full! Go ahead and tie it! Tie it now!"

"Okay!" the blonde grunted as she tied the laces on the back. "There we go! You're all laced up!" Mihoshi took a breath as she backed up and surveyed her work. "But do you really think that you should have your corset so tight, Ryoko? You could damage your insides if you're not careful."

"What the heck do I care?" Ryoko snorted. "I'm halfway dead already. The only things that seem to cause me real harm are brooms and mops." Her eyes brightened as she surveyed her unnaturally slim hourglass figure. "I look incredible! I've just _got_ to show Tenchi!" Before Mihoshi could react, Ryoko turned to the door and disappeared.

"Ryoko!" cried the flustered blonde as she ran over to the door. "Ryoko! You haven't finished dressing yet!" she cried as she opened the door to look for the absent vampire. "You're only wearing your corset and petticoat! Ryoko! You've got to come back and finish getting dressed!" When it was obvious that the cyan-haired vixen was long gone, Mihoshi sighed and mumbled. "What am I going to do now?"

* * *

Outside, Tenchi had removed his hat, tweed jacket and waistcoat and was chopping firewood. When Washu had commandeered Katsuhito and Nobuyuki to haul her logs to Glastonbury Abbey, Tenchi had volunteered to help out with the 'manly chores'. Despite the fact that Ayeka's country house was always kept ready for occupation, it seemed there was always some little task needed to make it habitable.

Tenchi appreciated the physical exertion. With a house full of beautiful young women and Ryoko turned into a vampire, any way to release stress was welcome. Nevertheless, despite his youth, the handsome solicitor was unused to physical labor and had to pause to catch his breath.

As he brushed the sweat off his brow he squinted at the sun, trying to decide whether to wear his discarded derby to protect him from the glare or to continue without it to avoid overheating. His body temperature shot up when he heard a familiar voice call out seductively. "Tenchi…"

"Ryoko! It's you!" he cried as he turned around ready to defend himself. "Doh!" His axe drooped limply in his hand as his eyes bulged to a comical width. Standing before him was a half dressed Ryoko, clad only in a petticoat and a corset that was laced so tight that it forced her ample bosom into two huge globes of flesh! "Ahh…"

In the distance, an unseen man shouted "Yo…!"

"Tenchi, take a look how tight I can lace my corset now that I don't have to breathe!" the vampire cooed. "I would have killed myself if I tried lacing it this tight before! Look at how trim my waist is! It's uncanny, huh?"

"Uh…"

"Why Tenchi," Ryoko grinned mischievously as she floated over to him. "Your nose is bleeding! Here let me get that…" She put her arms around the paralyzed young man and pursed her lips. Before he knew it, she was licking his face. He shuddered as her tongue tried to go up his left nostril. He gasped for breath under her embrace as her heaving bosom pressed up against his chest and her mouth slurped on his nose.

"Ryoko!" Ayeka's shrill voice cried. "Get off him this instant!"

"Hrr!" Ryoko hissed as she turned her head to face Ayeka.

The purple haired heiress was dashing towards them as quickly as her full bell shaped skirt would allow her. "Ryoko! Let go of Tenchi this instant! How dare you… AH!" Ayeka's eyes bulged in horror as she saw the blood on Ryoko's lips and the mindless shivering form of Tenchi Harker. His eyes were rolling back stupidly and his breath came in short frantic gasps. His mouth hung open and his body seemed to sag in Ryoko's grasp. She had been drinking his blood!

"Let go of him!" Ayeka shrieked. Completely disregarding her own safety, she lunged forward and pulled the axe out of Tenchi's hand. "We trusted you!" the heiress snarled as she swung the axe with both hands.

"Whoa!" Ryoko dropped prone, taking Tenchi with her and ducking under the swing of the axe. "What do you think you're doing, Ayeka?" she protested as she leapt to her feet. It was hard to move in the corset, but the ability to fly gave her gravity defying agility.

"Tenchi!" Ayeka cried. "Get up! Are you all right?"

Tenchi's body was as limp as a doll. He twitched and gagged and finally mumbled: "Boobies…" in a strange unnatural voice. His nose was bleeding, which explained Ryoko's unnatural fascination with it. Had she bit him or something? His skin seemed to change colors at an amazing rate from deathly pale to beet red and back again. What had happened to him?

"You! You…!" Ayeka hissed angrily. "You _are_ a demon aren't you? Look what you've done to Tenchi! I've got to destroy you before it's too late!"

"Go ahead and try princess," Ryoko mocked. "You can't kill someone who's already undead. Go ahead, give it a try, I dare you!"

"One way to get kill a vampire is decapitation!" Ayeka announced, heaving the hefty axe. She had to strike quickly before the adrenaline wore off. "Prepare to die!" She swung with all of her might and nearly lost her footing when Ryoko blocked the blow with one hand.

Ryoko had somehow caught the blade with her hand. It had not even broken the skin! "Well-well, looks like cutting my head off will be trickier than you thought, princess. Tenchi's blood gave me some energy. Too bad for you. Now it's _my_ turn to retaliate!" With a tug, Ryoko pulled the axe out of Ayeka's hands and threw it away.

"That's what you think!" Ayeka said defiantly as she fumbled with the bustle in the back of her skirt. "Don't think that I didn't come prepared!" From out of a concealed pouch in the back of her skirt she pulled out a pair of whiskbrooms. She spread her legs in a fighting stance and held the whiskbrooms as if they were exotic daggers from the orient. "I won't let you destroy Tenchi! Come at me, you scoundrel!"

"HA!" Ryoko struck at Ayeka with a battle cry. Ayeka blocked the blow with her whiskbrooms. Despite the fact that the force from Ryoko's blow should have knocked the little brooms from her grasp, Ayeka was able to push the vampire back without much effort.

"You think that I'm some spoiled little rich girl who's too weak to defend herself," Ayeka sneered at the confused vampire. "Well I'm not! Don't forget that before your father died he taught us _both_ knife fighting in case we should have to defend ourselves."

"You leave my father out of this!" Ryoko snarled. "Hiyah!" she threw another punch at Ayeka but the heiress was able to block using the whiskbrooms. The vampire had to dodge to avoid the counterblows, using her power of levitation and flight. Finally Ryoko flipped over the purple-haired girl and landed behind her.

Somehow, despite wearing a corset and a bustle under her dress, Ayeka managed to pivot and block Ryoko's next blow with her whiskbrooms. It was as if the little symbols of housework had slowed Ryoko's catlike reflexes as well as nullified her supernatural strength. Ryoko had to use her levitation ability to dodge Ayeka's chopping blows with her brooms yet again because of the way the vampire's corset limited her movement.

Ryoko was tempted to remove her corset in order to give herself some mobility when she heard Tenchi's voice shout. "Ayeka! Ryoko! What are you doing?"

Distracted, they both looked at Tenchi to see him jogging over and separating them by putting his body between them. "Please! Stop fighting! Try to calm down both of you!"

"Calm down?" Ryoko snarled. "I was calm in the first place! It was Ayeka who attacked first!"

"She was drinking your blood, Tenchi!" Ayeka wailed as she waved her arms.

"His nose was bleeding," Ryoko insisted. "I didn't bite him. Go ahead and check. There's not a mark on him. Any blood that he was going to lose anyway is fair game."

"His nose wouldn't be bleeding at all if you would put some clothes on!" Ayeka brushed past Tenchi to point an accusing finger at Ryoko.

"Get that finger out my face, Ayeka, or you're going to lose it," Ryoko warned her.

"Make all the excuses you want!" Ayeka sneered, keeping her hand pointing in Ryoko's face. "You should have tried to stop Tenchi's bleeding and not encourage it! You should be ashamed of yourself—Yowch!"

Tenchi hadn't been looking at that moment. When their struggle went from actions to words he had seized that opportunity to use a handkerchief to apply direct pressure to his nose. He had looked away to avoid staring at the half-naked Ryoko prancing about in her underwear, but he turned to look when Ayeka yelped in pain.

"She bit me!" Ayeka screamed as she cradled her hand. "She bit me! I can't believe she bit me!"

"I warned you," Ryoko scolded as she put her hands on her hips. "You should have got that hand out of my face when I told you to. Next time you'll know better."

"I've been bitten by a vampire and now I'm going to die!" Ayeka cried in despair. "I've been bitten and it's only a matter of time before I sicken and die! And then I'll rise from my grave to become an abomination just like Ryoko is!"

"Hey!" the vampire protested. "I'm right _here _you know!"

"Quick!" Ayeka turned to Tenchi. "It's the only way! You've got to take the axe and cut off my hand!"

"What?" he gasped in horror.

"Cut off my hand!" She ordered. "It's the only way to keep the vampirism toxins from reaching my brain! Otherwise you'll have _two_ vampires instead of one to worry about!"

"Cut off your hand?" Tenchi shuddered. "I can't do that!"

"It's over!" Ayeka sobbed as she collapsed on the ground. "I'm done for! Ryoko, I want you to know that I forgive you! If I don't have a soul when I come back it's up to you to defend the others from me! With your supernatural powers you have the best chance to take me on and win!"

"Hey, its not that bad," Ryoko said guiltily. "It's just a flesh wound honestly! Tenchi, tell her that it's just a flesh wound!"

"Here," Tenchi helped the despairing Ayeka to her feet. "Let's get you inside and let Kiyone take a look at that."

"Okay," Ayeka nodded shakily, then she looked at her injured hand. Closing her eyes, she held her hand away from her body in disgust. "Oh Tenchi! It's bleeding! It's bleeding! Huh?"

Ayeka looked back to see Ryoko's mouth slurping on her hand. "Sawyeh," the vampire apologized incoherently, for she couldn't really speak with Ayeka's hand in her mouth. That didn't keep her from trying. "Eh cuhn helf egg," she continued.

"Oh…" Ayeka's body collapsed in Tenchi's arms. "It's the end… My life's blood is draining away…"

"Ryoko!" Tenchi scolded as he wrenched the heiress' hand away from the ashamed vampire. "Stop it! Ayeka is overreacting enough as it is!"

"Sorry," Ryoko clasped her hands and tried to bow like her Japanese mother had done when she apologized. The tightly laced corset made that a challenge. "I can't help it. Whenever I see blood I become a different person. I can't really taste normal food and I…"

"Ryoko, put my jacket on; you're just too distracting," He ordered as he closed his eyes and turned his head. "Then help me get Ayeka into the house. I think she's fainted."

Meanwhile, back in London, in a cellar under Carfax Abbey, a sinister presence stirred. Placed in the center of the chamber was a darkly lacquered hardwood coffin with a stylized 'K' emblazoned on its lid. The lid opened as if by an invisible doorman and the sinister figure of Count Kagato rose out of it. He glanced about him and smiled. Gusts of white mist trailed up from his feet, until the white smoke enveloped his entire body. The smoke spun into a miniature funnel cloud until it collapsed upon itself and disappeared. There was no sign of Count Kagato.

On the ground floor in the nave of the abbey's church, the funnel cloud reformed and disappeared to reveal the caped form of Kagato. He had removed the pews and placed an enormous pipe organ in the back of the chamber when he moved in. He smiled sardonically and spoke to himself. "So Ryoko, you've sampled the blood of someone who carries the bloodlines of both Japan's Emperors _and_ the British royal family. Ryoko... looks like you've finally collected what I desire." His triumphant laugh echoed in the empty church.

_Next: What's All This Then?_


	27. What's All This Then?

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: __What's All This Then?_

"Oh my, Ayeka!" Mihoshi exclaimed as she entered the parlor. Ayeka was reclining on a fainting couch while Kiyone treated her hand. Tenchi, Ryoko, and Sasami were gathered around the stricken heiress while trying to stay out of the doctor's way.

"Oh Ayeka!" Sasami pleaded. "Don't die! Please don't die!"

"It's not my fault!" Ryoko insisted. "I said I was sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Ryoko!" Tenchi scolded. "You have got to learn self-control! What if you hurt her seriously?"

"A-am I going to die?" Ayeka asked in a shakey voice.

"I don't think so," Kiyone said as she finished wrapping Ayeka's hand in protective gauze. "Still I'd like to keep you under observation."

"Okay, what's going on?" Washu asked as she strode into the room, still dressed in her country tweeds and deerstalker cap.

"Ryoko bit Ayeka," Tenchi replied.

"I said I was sorry!" Ryoko bawled. "She's going to get better isn't she?"

"I'm so weak…" Ayeka moaned. "I'm dying…"

"Hm," Washu said as she looked into Ayeka's eyes. "She could be going into shock. Could be the wound, or it could be stress…"

"Is she going to be alright?" Tenchi asked.

"Let's test her reflexes," Washu took a small rubber hammer out of her handbag and rapped it on the heiress' knee.

"Yowch!" Ayeka sprang to her feet. "What the devil are you playing at?" she screeched as she picked Washu up by the lapels of her jacket.

"Hm, ferocious animalistic reaction," Washu muttered calmly. "Could it be that Ryoko's bite has affected her behavior?"

"Actually, that reaction from Ayeka is quite normal," Tenchi sighed.

Ayeka gasped in embarrassment and released the little scientist. "Oh my, do forgive me…"

"Looks like you've made a full recovery," Kiyone commented.

"See? It was all in your mind!" Ryoko insisted.

"Don't start with me, Ryoko!" Ayeka snarled through clenched teeth as she clutched her bandaged hand. "This is your fault! I caught you drinking Tenchi's blood! I was trying to defend him!"

"I didn't bite Tenchi!" Ryoko whined. "I swear, I didn't lay a tooth on him!"

"Then how did you get the blood out of him?" Sasami asked. "You need a wound don't you?"

"My… nose was bleeding," Tenchi admitted ruefully.

"Oh my, it must be the altitude," Mihoshi guessed.

"What are you talking about?" Kiyone muttered. "We're nearly at sea level."

"Oh, then what could it be?" Mihoshi put her forefinger on her cheek as she furrowed her brow in concentration. "Could it be the cool weather?"

"Could it be that something has gotten Tenchi's blood pumping?" Washu asked coyly. "Ryoko looks a little undressed there."

All eyes turned to Ryoko. Underneath Tenchi's open tweed jacket she was only wearing a petticoat and a corset that was laced tight enough to kill a normal woman. Even with Tenchi's coat on, the vampire's snow-white cleavage was bursting out to advertise her vanilla curves.

"Heh-heh," Ryoko blushed. "Guess I'm too hot to handle, huh?"

"Oh Ryoko!" Mihoshi gushed in concern. "You haven't finished getting dressed!" The demented blonde seized the vampire's arm, causing Ryoko to struggle to keep her balance. "Come on!" the blonde exclaimed. "We've got to loosen your corset and put some clothing on you! It really wouldn't do to have people see you like this!"

"Hey! Hands off!" Ryoko protested as the blonde dragged her away.

"Now come on, you have to take care of yourself!" Mihoshi scolded as she pulled her up the stairs. Ryoko's supernatural strength didn't seem to be a factor during the daytime, or maybe she wasn't drinking enough blood. Either way, the dizzy blonde had no trouble overpowering a woman who was nearly paralyzed by wearing a corset tight enough to use as a wine press.

"Now just calm down and try to get some rest Ayeka," Kiyone suggested.

"I don't want to," Ayeka pouted. "I'm afraid if I relax I might never get my energy back. I might get weaker and weaker until I collapse."

"Funny you should mention that," Washu said as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Vampires feed on life-energy. The same way we get our energy from sugars they get their energy from blood."

"Do you have to talk about that now?" Kiyone hissed.

"Please Doctor von Washu, think of Ayeka's feelings!" Sasami added.

"Meow," Ryo-ohki nodded from her perch on Sasami's head.

"There's a point to this," Washu told them. "I don't think Ayeka is in any danger but if her condition deteriorates I think there's a way to treat it."

"Really?" Tenchi asked, becoming interested.

"Well now, that's different!" Ayeka beamed as she stepped forward to address the little scientist. "Doctor von Washu, please go on!"

"The land around here is chock full of spiritual energy," Washu explained. "I was planning to harness it to bring my two golems to life, but I could use it to purify poisoned chi."

"Chi?" Tenchi repeated.

"'Ki' in Japanese," Washu clarified. "Bioenergy, life force, spiritual energy, quintessence, you know, soul power. It is most often observed as fuel for supernatural occurrences like telekinesis or levitation."

"I see," Kiyone nodded. "It's kind of a power source for the supernatural is that it?"

"You could say that," Washu clarified. "There is a powerful nexus at Glastonbury Abbey, near the tomb of King Arthur. From there it will be easy to harness the power of the land to power supernatural effects. If Ayeka's energy is poisoned by Ryoko's bite we should be able to purify it there."

"King Arthur?" Tenchi scratched his head. "The King of Camelot? The Knights of the Round Table guy?"

"That's the one," Washu smiled. "He made a pact with the land and bound himself to his kingdom. As long as he kept his connection with the land the spiritual energy was in balance and the nation prospered."

Kiyone interrupted before Washu could continue. "Not to stray off topic, but the long and the short of it is that if Ryoko's bite gives Ayeka supernatural complications you think you can come up with a supernatural cure."

"Yes, that's right," said a slightly miffed Washu. "I guess I better put off carving my golems and start researching a purification ritual." With that, the little genius walked over to the stairs to go to her room. "In the meantime, try to keep Ryoko from biting anyone again."

"She's right," Kiyone nodded after the eccentric redhead had left. "Nothing has more germs than a human's bite, and we don't know what kind of supernatural side effects a vampire's bite causes. There could be more dangers than simple blood loss."

Ayeka swallowed nervously at that comment.

A knock at the door arrested the attention of those left in the parlor. "I wonder who that could be?" Tenchi asked out loud. He walked down a short hall to the foyer to answer it. "Yes?" he asked the duo outside.

"Hello young man," said an elderly bespectacled man whose long iron-gray hair was parted in the middle and pulled back into a ponytail. Despite his age, his posture was as ramrod straight as a man at least two decades his junior. He pushed his spectacles back on his nose and lit his pipe before continuing. "I'm Inspector Yosho of Scotland Yard, Criminal Investigation Department." He gestured to a tall broad shouldered man in his late thirties who was cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief. "This is Sergeant Nobson. Are you Tenchi Harker, the solicitor?"

"Why yes," Tenchi nodded. "You're the brother of one of my firm's founders aren't you? I thought I recognized you from one of the office parties."

"Yes, that's right," Yosho winked. "You're the one with all the girlfriends."

"Heh-heh," Tenchi gave an embarrassed laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah that's me. What can I do for you Inspector?"

"May we come in?" the elderly police inspector asked. "I have information of the gravest importance."

"Uh, do you have to?" Tenchi asked uneasily. The thought of bringing any strangers into the house while Ryoko was a vampire chilled his blood. Bringing in a Scotland Yard investigator was even worse, but he couldn't think of a good excuse to leave old man Yosho's brother out on the step. "I mean, certainly, right this way." He led them back into the parlor. "Ayeka!" he called. "We have visitors!"

"Oh my!" Ayeka rose from the fainting couch in surprise. "Inspector Yosho! Sergeant Nobson! How do you do?"

"It is good to see you again Miss Murray," Yosho said as she walked over and took the heiress' hand. "You look well… huh?" he had leaned down to kiss her hand but stopped to stare at the bandages. "Oh dear. What happened to your hand? Have you injured yourself?"

"Why yes, aheh-heh-heh-heh," Ayeka chuckled nervously as she snatched her hand away and attempted to conceal it by clasping it with her other hand. "I got rather careless and got scratched by a cat. But it's okay. Really it is." The heiress sat back down, and then attempted to fill the awkward silence. "So, um, how nice of you to come all this way to see me. I hope I didn't put you to too much bother. Would you like a refreshment?"

"Why certainly," Inspector Yosho replied as he sat down in a chair facing the fainting couch.

"Don't mind if I do," Nobson added as he sat in a nearby chair.

"Nobuyuki!" Ayeka called. "We have visitors!"

"Urk!" Nobby started awkwardly and glanced over to Yosho. "I told you something like this might happen," he whispered.

"Don't rub it in, think of something," the elderly inspector hissed.

"Er uh, which way to the water closet?" Nobson said as he rose to his feet. "Begging your pardon, but it was a long trip to get out here."

"Just down the hall," Kiyone pointed helpfully. "Do you want me to show you the way?"

"No-no, I'll find it," Nobby smiled as he walked out of the room.

"Well who is this beautiful young thing?" Yosho smiled at Kiyone.

"Oh uh, Doctor Kiyone Seward," the teal haired doctor blushed. "At your service, Inspector."

"Kiyone Seward?" the old man repeated as he adjusted his eyeglasses. "The daughter of Doctor John Seward, late of the Royal Navy?"

"That's me," Kiyone laughed self-consciously. "Although these days he prefers to go by 'Jack'."

"I see," Inspector Yosho nodded. "I hope I'm not being impertinent, but what made all of you decide to leave town? We're a long way from London, you know."

Tenchi, Kiyone, Sasami, and Ayeka glanced at each other guiltily. There was no way they could tell the truth to the inspector. He would never believe it, and if he did Ryoko would be a suspect in the recent murders that terrified London. They had to make up an excuse and appear nonchalant.

"Well, uh, you see we come here every year," Ayeka explained as she rose to the challenge.

"That's right," Tenchi nodded. "Don't want to miss the end of the hunting season. Got to get the grouse while the weather holds!"

"And after what happened to Ryoko any excuse to get out of town was a good one," Kiyone added.

"Yes," Ayeka nodded quietly. "I couldn't stand it back in London anymore. That house was a grim reminder of the tragedy that took her away from us."

"Have you read the newspaper?" Yosho asked as he held up a copy of the _London Times_. "It appears that Miss Westenra was only the first."

"Oh," Tenchi, Kiyone and Ayeka became pale. Ayeka put her hand over her mouth and glanced at Tenchi and Kiyone.

Just then Ayeka's Japanese manservant Nobuyuki burst into the room, gasping for breath. He was dressed in a tuxedo fashionable for butlers rather than the country tweed suit that Sergeant Nobson had worn. "What (puff) can I do for you Miss Ayeka?" he gasped hoarsely.

"Oh Nobuyuki," Ayeka seemed to regain her confidence now that she had someone to order around. "Please get our guests some tea will you?" She glanced over at the inspector. "Unless you'd prefer something stronger?"

"No thank you, tea will be fine," Yosho assured her.

"_I'll_ take something stronger," Kiyone announced.

"Four teas and a brandy," Ayeka instructed.

"Very good ma'am," Nobuyuki said in an exaggerated British accent as he clicked his heels. He turned and strode out of the room.

"Thank you Nobuyuki," Ayeka nodded to the departing domestic before turning her attention to the Scotland Yard detective. "I'm sorry Inspector, you were saying?"

"Ah yes," Yosho nodded grimly. "I was saying that your friend Ryoko was merely the first victim. It seems that people you know have been murdered one by one and the only connection is that each one was born to a British father and a Japanese mother. Nearly all of their fathers served aboard the _HMS Pioneer_. Can you think of anyone who has a reason to hunt your friends down like this?"

"No I can't," Tenchi shook his head and replied without hesitation.

"Can you think of a reason why Ryoko was chosen to be the first?" the old man prodded.

"There were more people murdered?" Sasami gasped in horror. "Who? Anyone I know?"

"Sasami, go into the kitchen and help Nobuyuki," Ayeka ordered.

"But I want to know who else the vampire got besides Ryoko…" the child whined as her cabbit balanced itself on her head.

"You heard me Sasami," Ayeka announced imperiously. "This conversation is for grownups. Go."

"Yes, ma'am," Sasami pouted she and Ryo-ohki left the room.

"The child has such an active imagination," Ayeka explained nervously to the police inspector. "She and I both discovered the body you know."

"Poor Ryoko," Tenchi sighed in exaggeration. "She certainly didn't deserve what happened to her."

"I'd give anything to hear her voice again," Kiyone sighed.

"Mihoshi!" Ryoko's voice snarled from upstairs. "Get away from me before I clobber yuh!"

"Please, Ryoko!" Mihoshi's voice protested. "Let me help you get dressed! You may be a blood drinking supernatural creature of the night but you still have to dress like a proper lady!"

Inspector Yosho stared at Ayeka with cold and suspicious eyes. Ayeka's face lost all color and Tenchi and Kiyone swallowed nervously.

_Next: Insanity Plea_


	28. Insanity Plea

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: __Insanity Plea_

It was Kiyone who came to the rescue. "Oh that's just Mihoshi," the delicious doctor explained. "She hasn't accepted the fact that Ryoko has passed away. You understand."

"Oh yes," Inspector Yosho nodded. "My uh, _brother_ told me how he rescued her when she ran the _Demeter_ aground," he added uncomfortably. He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. "How is she?"

"I'm afraid there isn't much improvement," Kiyone shook her head sympathetically, "but we just can't stand the thought of her in a madhouse. Miss Ayeka has offered to take care of her out here."

"What?" Ayeka blinked. "Oh yes!" she nervouslly exclaimed. "Yes! Of course! I'd like to take care of her out _here_! See if a change in surroundings helps. Nothing like a nice peaceful time in the country to help set your mind straight! It really is her best hope, I think! Don't you?"

"Yes, of course," the elderly detective nodded, "but I thought that I heard _two_ women upstairs."

"Oh Mihoshi is both of them," Kiyone lied. "Sometimes she talks to herself and pretends she's talking to Ryoko. It really is very sad."

At that moment, the befuddled blonde strolled down the stairs and approached the group. "Kiyone!" Mihoshi whined. "Come help me with Ryoko! She won't let me help her get dressed!"

"Oooh," Tenchi groaned as he tried not to look at Inspector Yosho's reaction.

"Now Mihoshi," Kiyone chuckled gently. "You know that Ryoko passed away last week. You're just going to have to accept it."

"What are you talking about?" the blonde's blue eyes narrowed. "She didn't go away. She's right upstairs!"

"What did I miss?" Sergeant Nobson said as he emerged from the hall.

"Nothing!" Ayeka smiled strangely. "Mihoshi, tell Nobuyuki to be sure to get a drink for Sergeant Nobson here."

"The drinks! I uh, forgot to wash my hands!" Nobby choked as he turned to dash back down the hall.

"Oh!" Mihoshi started as she noticed Inspector Yosho. "Katsuhito! What are you all dressed up for?"

Inspector Yosho cleared his throat guiltily.

"Now Mihoshi," Kiyone laughed condescningly. "This isn't Katsuhito. You remember Inspector Yosho of Scotland Yard don't you?"

"I thought he was Katsuhito the caretaker," Mihoshi said as she bent over to squint at the sitting inspector. "He sure looks like Katsuhito. Don't you think he looks like Katsuhitio? They could be twins!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mihoshi," Kiyone said as she took her arm. "Katsuhito is Japanese, while Inspector Yosho is obviously English. They're just two men the same age who wear the same kind of eyeglasses. That's all."

Mihoshi looked at the inspector. "Yosho, is that a Japanese name?"

"Uh, no, it's Norweigian," the inspector replied.

"Really?" Tenchi piped up. "I thought it was French."

"Here are the drinks you ordered ma'am," Nobuyuki said as he entered carrying a tray with four cups of tea and a shot glass of brandy.

"Nobuyuki, don't you think that Inspector Yosho here looks like your father?" Mihoshi asked. "The resemblance really is uncanny, don't you think?"

"Uh… no…" Nobuyuki stammered, then assumed a stilted foreign accent. "Honorable Nobuyuki has never seen honored old man before," he said as he stuck out his front teeth and his eyes became narrow slits.

"I just think that it's strange that they look so much alike," Mihoshi murmured. "As a matter of fact, his assistant, Nobby, looks just like you. I've never noticed that before. Isn't that strange?"

"Well, I think that I've taken up enough of your time," Yosho said uncomfortably as he rose to his feet. "I'll collect Nobby and go."

"Well I better see if little Sasami needs me in the kitchen," Nobuyuki handed the tray to Mihoshi and then turned and left the room.

Yosho picked up his hat and put it on his head. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but you had to know. Someone is targeting people of both British and Japanese ancestry. There's no way to put a pretty face on it, but you're all in danger. The last victim was Sakuya Smythe…"

"Oh no!" Ayeka gasped. "Not little Sakuya!" The heiress hid her face in her hands. "This can't be happening!"

"What?" Mihoshi cried. "Little Sakuya?"

"That's impossible!" Tenchi exclaimed.

"You're right!" Ayeka put her hand in front of her mouth in horror. "Sasami's dream… there's no way!"

"Sakuya!" Ryoko exclaimed as she came down the stairs. Thankfully, the vampire had gotten dressed in an ankle-length skirt, pink blouse and a matching jacket. "What do you mean? What happened to Sakuya?"

"Ryoko!" Mihoshi gushed. "You're dressed!"

"Ryoko?" asked a puzzled Yosho.

"Uh ah… _Lucy_!" Tenchi cried with exaggerated glee. "Lucy, you're dressed!"

"Lucy?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow and regarded him strangely.

"Lucy, I'd like to introduce you to Inspector Yosho of Scotland Yard," Tenchi announced in a booming stage voice as he took the vampire's hand and led her to the older man. "He's investigating Ryoko's death."

"He is?" Ryoko squinted at Tenchi suspiciously before her topaz eyes widened in realization. "He's investigating _Ryoko's_ death!" she announced in an unnatural voice while nodding her head. "Oh! _Oh_! He's investigating Ryoko's death! Right! Poor Ryoko! She was like a sister to me!"

"But _you're_ Ryoko," Mihoshi frowned.

"Ah-ha-ha," Kiyone laughed weakly as she grasped Mihoshi's shoulder and pulled her back. "Poor Mihoshi. She still hasn't come to terms with Ryoko's death. Every day she selects a different one of us to be Ryoko."

"Kiyone, what are you talking about?" Mihoshi asked indignantly. "You're acting _strange_."

"So, do you have any leads?" the vampire asked the elderly detective. "Any idea what happened to poor sweet Ryoko? It really is terrible what happened to her. If only she had lived I'm sure she would have married Tenchi here."

"_I_ wouldn't be so sure," Ayeka sneered.

"I would," Ryoko turned to face the heiress. "You have to admit that she was the best looking out of all of us and she really was such a sweet and responsible person. She was so hard working too. Honestly, even I have to admit she was a catch! You agree with me don't you? Or are you going to speak ill of the dead?"

Ayeka's eyes narrowed and her mouth became a thin hard line. "Sure Ryoko… um… Ryoko was the hardest working out of all of us…"

"And the best looking too," the vampire smiled enthusiastically. "You _have_ to admit that."

"Yes…" Ayeka muttered sarcastically. "I _have_ to admit that with her beautiful raven hair she was the finest looking of all of us," she smiled evilly. "It's _such_ a pity that none of us have such glossy and manageable hair like Ryoko did, wouldn't you agree _Lucy_?"

"Yeah," Ryoko huffed. "Yeah… it's a pity…" She glanced up at her wild spikey cyan-white hair and then looked nervously in Inspector Yosho's direction. "I uh… just washed my hair and I can't do a thing with it!"

"I don't believe we've met before," Yosho said as he extended his hand. "A pleasure to meet you Miss-?"

"Scotland Yard," Ryoko blurted as she extended her hand awkwardly. "Uh… Birch Yard," Ryoko stammered as she glanced at a birch tree out the window. "That's it. Burchard. Miss Lucy Burchard. At your service, Inspector."

"Oh my, what a cold hand you have Miss Burchard," the inspector commented as they shook hands.

Ryoko pulled her hand away as a sweat drop trickled down from her temple. "Um… I have really poor circulation! I came out here to get some exercise!" After laughing nervously for a moment, the vampire cleared her throat and assumed a more businesslike stance. "So uh… I hate to ask this but what happened to Sakuya?"

"Inspector Yosho was just telling us that something happened back in London," Tenchi explained. "Just like in Sasami's dream!"

"Dream?" Inspector Yosho prodded.

"Last night little Sasami had a nightmare," Tenchi explained. "She was afraid that something had happened to Sakuya."

"I'm afraid she was right," Yosho informed him. "Last night Sakuya Smythe was murdered at her debutante ball. You can see why Nobby and I lost no time coming out here to warn you. Someone is picking you off one by one. If you don't want police protection I recommend that you hire some bodyguards until we can catch the culprit."

"I assure you, Inspector, we're perfectly safe," Tenchi said. "We're miles from London and this is private property. We'll notice if there are any strangers around here."

"Finished washing my hands!" Nobby announced as he emerged from the hall. "Ah… tea!" he said as he saw the tray of steaming teacups that Mihoshi was holding. "Don't mind if I do!"

"Wow, Sergeant Nobson, you won't believe this!" Mihoshi gushed. "Ayeka has a valet from Japan that looks _just like_ you! Isn't that the strangest thing? I'll call him in here, you can see for yourself!"

"Uh… it's time we were going," Nobby stammered.

"Yes, we've taken up too much of your time," Inspector Yosho nodded as they hurried to the door. "We've got to catch the train back to London before the killer strikes again! Goodbye and be careful!"

"Wait! Wait!" Mihoshi cried. "Oh Nobuyuki! Could you come in here?"

The two policemen dashed down the hall and out the front door. Footsteps could be heard going around the house and the back door was heard opening and closing. More footsteps could be heard from the back of the house before Nobuyuki burst into the room gasping for breath. "Yes Miss Mihoshi? Can I help you?"

"Nevermind, I wanted to show you someone, but they left," Mishohi shrugged. "How strange."

"Yes," Tenchi nodded. "I really expected them to stay and ask more questions after coming all this way."

"We must have made them suspcious," Kiyone decided. "I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to stick around and watch this house."

"I'll go upstairs and see if they're still watching us!" Mihoshi declared as she walked out of the room.

"Nobuyuki, keep an eye out for any strangers lurking around the property," Kiyone ordered. "Better pass the word over to your father too."

"Will do, ma'am," the Japanese valet nodded as he left the room. "You can count on me."

"I'll keep a lookout from the roof!" Ryoko announced before she vanished into thin air.

There was a brief pause as Tenchi, Kiyone, and Ayeka froze in the presence of the supernatural. Then Ayeka broke the silence. "Now Sakuya too," the heiress muttered. "It's just a nightmare!"

"Speaking of nightmares, how did Sasami realize that something happened to Sakuya?" Tenchi asked.

"It wouldn't be the first time that child was cursed with the gift of prophecy," Ayeka sighed. "Honestly, sometimes I think that she'll grow up to be another Joan of Arc."

"Who could be hunting our friends down, one by one?" Tenchi absently paced as he wondered out loud. "Who has it in for people of both British and Japanese ancestry? It doesn't make any sense!"

"You don't suppose that someone aboard the _Pioneer_ found buried treasure on an island off the coast of Japan?" Ayeka asked. "In mysteries like this it's almost always about money."

"I get it!" Tenchi snapped his fingers. "The murderer is interrogating each of his victims to see if they know where the treasure is buried."

"Are you forgetting the whole 'bloodless corpse back from the grave' part?" Kiyone asked. "I don't think that an undead monster is going to be interested in money!"

"Oh yeah," Tenchi sighed in disappointment. "I forgot about that."

"Maybe after centuries of drinking European blood, the vampire wants something more exotic," Ayeka suggested. "A rare mixed blood sampler or something like that."

"Could the vampire be Japanese?" Tenchi wondered. "Nothing says he has to come from Europe at all. Perhaps an ancestor of ours did something."

"We'll have to ask Washu," Kiyone shrugged. "_She_ met him, after all. I'd ask Ryoko, but I think it could be a sensitive subject."

"Yeah, you're right," Tenchi nodded ruefully. "Well, at least we were smart enough to leave London when we did. There's no way the vampire could know where we are now."

* * *

Upstairs, Mihoshi gazed outside at the two Scotland Yard detectives disappearing into the distance. "Hmm," she looked around the room she shared with Kiyone until her eyes fell upon a desk with a set of pens and fresh stationary paper aranged on it. "I wonder how Count Kagato is doing," she said as she cocked her head. "I hope everything worked out with Carfax Abbey. I better write to him and see."

_Next: Hypotherapy _


	29. Hypnotherapy

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Hypnotherapy_

"Well that's that!" Mihoshi smiled in satisfaction as she folded her letter and placed it into an envelope. "Now to get this to the telegraph office! It's such a beautiful day for a walk…"

"Mihoshi, have you seen Ryoko?" Tenchi poked his head into the room she shared with Kiyone. "I've been looking everywhere, but I haven't seen her since the Scotland Yard detectives left."

"I don't know Tenchi," Mihoshi scratched her head. "Why don't you ask Ayeka? She knows her better than anyone."

"Wait," Tenchi frowned as he looked at the ceiling, then he smiled knowingly. "I think I know where she is…"

* * *

At the top of the artificial valley that Ayeka's family had excavated was the house of the elderly caretaker and his son. On the same level as the caretaker's house there was a cave. As one of the few unlandscaped natural features left, it had been chosen to be the center of the Shinto shrine that Ayeka's mother had talked her father into building. A red '_tori_' gate was placed before the cave to mark the entrance to a Shinto shrine.

Outside of the cave stood Tenchi Harker, who paused to catch his breath. "Hey Ryoko!" he called. "Shiver me timbers, I'm looking for Long John Silver and his pieces of eight, matey!"

Ryoko appeared before him, materializing out of thin air, the crestfallen look on her face was more unsettling than her display of supernatural power. "How did you know where to find me?" she asked lifelessly.

"It was easy," Tenchi shrugged. "This is where we used to pretend we were pirates looking for buried treasure when we were children. Don't you remember? We read the original version of _Treasure Island_ in _Young Folks_ magazine ten years ago."

Ryoko closed her eyes and chuckled at the memory. "That's right. I had broken my leg and had to use crutches. I got to be Long John Silver and we let Sakuya be Jim Hawkins 'cause she was so little. Sakuya…" She opened her golden eyes to reveal glistening tears. "Little Sakuya. She was so young, Tenchi. She was so young…"

"I… I know, Ryoko," Tenchi struggled to keep his emotions in check.

"I… I… was so jealous of her, Tenchi," Ryoko sniffed. "It was ridiculous because she was almost five years younger than me… But somehow… I just know that if she would have survived you would have picked _her_."

"You don't know that, Ryoko," Tenchi blinked away the tears and mustered his strength.

"Yes, I do," Ryoko nodded. "We could all see it. And I was so jealous… I… I…" Even closing her eyes and scrunching her face didn't stop the tears from escaping the vampire's eyes. "I wished she was dead!" the vampire cried. "Isn't it horrible? I wished she was dead and she died!" Ryoko clenched her fists but didn't open her eyes. "She died, Tenchi! And we both know a vampire did it!" Spent, she collapsed to her knees and silently cried.

"We… we don't know that for certain," Tenchi stammered as he knelt beside her. He brushed away a tear before Ryoko saw it. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. Sakuya's death had nothing to do with you."

"That's where you're wrong Tenchi," Ryoko said grimly. "I… I… can almost remember Sakuya's death. It's like a dream. I could swear she was on her balcony… No one could hear her scream…"

"You're just making things up," Tenchi put his arm around her shoulder. "You've got these predatory instincts and they just heighten your negative emotions. You never even thought like this until this vampire thing happened to you."

"That's just it Tenchi, I'm a vampire now," she said as she fixed him with a steely gaze. "Who knows what I'm capable of?"

"You're getting better," Tenchi insisted. "Even when you were out of control, you never hurt anyone."

"How do we know that?" Ryoko stood and Tenchi did likewise, allowing them to look each other in the eye. "For all we know I could have been bumping off our friends one by one."

"You couldn't have killed Sakuya, because you were right here at the time," Tenchi asserted. "We locked you in your room. We warded it so you couldn't get out. Even if you could there's no way you could get all the way to London and back that quickly. It just couldn't happen."

"Couldn't it?" Ryoko disappeared only to appear behind him. "How do we know it couldn't? We don't know how far I can go do we?"

Tenchi turned to face her. "How far can you blink yourself? All the way to London? Can you really do that?"

"I don't know!" Ryoko clenched her fists and stamped her foot in frustration. "Who knows? At night I'm not myself!"

"You seem okay in the daytime," Tenchi offered.

The vampire clasped his shoulders. "Tenchi, if it turns out I did these horrible things, I… I need you to take me out of the picture!"

"Ryoko, you can't…!"

"I mean it, Tenchi!" she shouted as she shook him. "I'm not myself at night! For all I know I could _kill you_! You've got to keep the others safe! You can't count on von Washu to do the job for you, I won't hold back on her! But with you…" She let go of him to close her eyes and hug herself. "…with you I'd hold back enough to let you get the upper hand. I'd fight stupid. No matter how hard the vampire would struggle, I'd let you win. It's the only way. You know it."

"Come on, lets get you to von Washu," Tenchi grasped her hand.

"Don't brush me off, Tenchi!" Ryoko ordered threateningly.

Tenchi gulped, and then attempted to regain control. "Uh… I simply wanted us to talk to her to see if she agrees with you." He clarified. "Before we do anything drastic, we ought to get a second opinion."

"Okay," Ryoko nodded in surrender before she let herself be led back to the main house.

* * *

Later the housemates were assembled in the sitting room.

"Where's Mihoshi?" Kiyone looked around.

"She said something about going into town to send a telegram," Tenchi shrugged. "It's not like we're in the big city. She should be all right."

"I'm sorry, I worry about her," Kiyone scolded. "I know she seems okay but I'm afraid she'll have a relapse and start talking to animals or something."

"I've never seen her talking to animals, have you, Ryo-ohki?" Sasami said to her little pet.

The little cabbit shook her head and made a meowing sound that sounded like a 'no'.

"Hey!" Ryoko barked. "Can we focus here? We're going to find out about _me_!" The vampire hadn't stopped scowling since she allowed herself to be tied to the chair with clothesline. Blankets had been wrapped around her to keep the clothesline from irritating her skin through her clothing.

"We haven't forgotten about you Ryoko, I promise," Ayeka assured her nervously. To be honest, she didn't like anything about the experiment Washu was going to perform but nobody else had a better idea.

"Draw the curtains, Tenchi," Doctor von Washu ordered. "We want it peaceful and we don't need any distractions."

"Oh then I guess it's okay that Mihoshi went for a walk," the solicitor joked self-consciously as he closed the curtains.

"Okay, Ryoko, I want you to relax," the little scientist said as everyone's eyes adjusted to the dim light. "Just listen to the sound of my voice and look at my watch." A gold pocket watch dangled from its chain to reflect a glint of subdued sunlight into Ryoko's eyes. "It's a pretty watch, isn't it? Made of gold. Look at the way I can make it swing backwards and forwards… backwards… and forwards…"

"Backwards and forwards…" Ayeka repeated listlessly her head weaving side to side. "Backwards and forwards…" Sasami, who was sitting beside her on the couch, nudged her awake. "Oh!" Ayeka gasped as she covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"Backwards and forwards…" Ryoko repeated. "Backwards and forwards…"

"Ryoko, I want you to go back to last night," Washu commanded. "Back to Sakuya's coming out party. Do you remember?"

"Sakuya…" Ryoko's voice slurred drunkenly as her eyelids drooped. "Sakuya Smythe… what a disappointment." Ryoko's voice was different. It was if she was speaking with a different accent although now she sounded paradoxally more British than she did before. "Although her blood was a delicious nectar, she didn't have the bloodline I was searching for… At least Ryoko found it at last… but she isn't telling me…"

Kiyone, Ayeka, Tenchi, and Sasami gasped in horror. Was it true? Did Ryoko really murder Sakuya? Ryo-ohki meowed angrily and fled the room.

"Sasami leave the room," Ayeka hissed to the child sitting beside her.

"But Ayeka, I'm a part of this also," Sasami insisted.

Ayeka looked into the child's albino rabbit eyes and saw a strength the heiress wished she possessed. "All… all right," Ayeka said with moist eyes as she hugged the little girl. After her parents died, Ayeka could refuse the orphan nothing.

"Ryoko…" the vampire swayed drunkenly in her chair as if she was a charmed snake. "You are such a flawed creation. For some reason I can't get through to you, not all the way. It's almost as if you still had a human spirit or something…"

"Why is she referring to herself in the third person?" Tenchi whispered.

"It's doesn't sound like we're talking to Ryoko at all," Kiyone hissed back.

"What bloodline _are_ you looking for?" Washu asked as she held the watch in front of Ryoko's alien face.

"Why, the bloodline of Pendragon of course," The grin on Ryoko's face wasn't hers, and the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "The bloodline of King Arthur has such a metaphysical hold on the entire country, and Britain has such a hold over the entire world! With the blood of Arthur flowing in my veins I could use my power on everyone in the country! The longer a family has been lived on these islands the stronger my hold over them would be. I wouldn't even have to in the same room to feed off them…"

"Why are you attacking the children of the shipmates of the _Pioneer_?" Washu asked as she kept her voice calm and commanding.

"Elementary my dear Doctor," Ryoko's eyes rolled back in her head as she flopped in her chair like a marionette with some of its strings cut. "Arthur's bloodline as become too weak over the centuries. It needs another royal bloodline to restore it. One of the brides the _Pioneer_'s crew brought home had a distant ancestor that was part of the Japanese Imperial Family. Alone their blood was as common as dirt, but mix them together and the offspring would be just royal enough to restore Arthur's bloodline to a level capable of affecting the land. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to affect everyone in Japan too!" She threw back her head and laughed diabolically. "You've found it, Ryoko, now tell me who it is!"

"Doctor, stop this," Ayeka hissed through clenched teeth. "This experiment has gone on long enough! We might loose the real Ryoko!"

"We've got a fix on the progenitor vampire!" Washu insisted. "We can use Ryoko to get inside her head!"

"I won't allow it!" the heiress rose to her feet. "Bring her out of it! Bring her out right now!"

"Doctor…" A masculine voice greeted sardonically. Ayeka and Washu turned to face Ryoko, who was now speaking with a man's voice. Ryoko's skin had become an ashen gray, and the whites of her eyes were green as an apple. The irises of her green orbs were a sickly shade of red, subdued by the green that permeated her eyes. "Doctor… it's you," she smiled.

"That… voice!" Kiyone whispered.

"Uh…" Ayeka's eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the floor.

"Well… Doctor von Washu, we meet again," Ryoko smiled. To their horror, she stood up and the blankets and clothesline slipped right off her. "Well done. You put all the remaining eggs in one basket. I'm impressed. I should have made you my bride instead of Ryoko. What a marvelous specimen you would make."

"We'll see who's dissecting whom before this is over," Washu snapped.

"So… which of these healthy specimens did Ryoko bite?" Ryoko's unnatural eyes scanned the room. "It would be safer for the others if you told me now, Professor."

Kiyone and Tenchi's eyes involuntarily went to Ayeka. Sasami knelt protectively at the oblivious heiress' side.

"So… it's Ayeka who holds the bloodline of Pendragon," Ryoko smiled evilly. "Very good… I should have suspected as much. Her father was an officer aboard the _Pioneer_, I should have expected his bride to be relatively upper class. Now where are you? Not too far away, I trust?"

"Get out of here!" Washu commanded as she held up a silver crucifix. "Let Ryoko go, you animal!"

"Oh my oh my," Ryoko tutted as she stepped away from the little scientist. "Goodness, I am frightened. But Ryoko isn't affected by such superstitious nonsense what if I let Ryoko back in just enough to…" she lunged forward, knocking Washu out of the way in her haste to get at Ayeka.

"No!" Sasami whined. "Stay back!" Somehow the underage domestic caught Ryoko's wrists as she reached towards Ayeka and held them tight. "Ryoko!" the child pleaded. "Come back! Come back to us!"

Smoke rose up from where Sasami gripped Ryoko and the sound of sizzling bacon could be heard.

"AAH!" Ryoko screamed as she jumped back from the child. Her eyes were once again white with yellow pupils and her skin had regained it's normal color. "Ah! Ooh! Ow!" she cried in her normal voice as she blew on her smoking wrists. "Dammit! What just happened? What's going on?"

"Ryoko! It's you!" Sasami smiled. "It's really you!"

"Open the curtains Tenchi," Washu ordered.

Kiyone stepped forward hesitantly and knelt to examine Ayeka. "It's all right, she's only fainted."

"I don't blame her!" Tenchi said as he let the afternoon sun in. "I'm ready to fall on the floor right next to her!"

"Was it bad?" Ryoko asked Washu.

"Oh no, much worse," the redhead replied.

"You're back Ryoko! You're back!" Sasami hugged her around the waist.

"That's… great, Sasami," Ryoko flinched and lifted her arms to keep any exposed skin from coming in contact with the child. "It's good to _be_ back kiddo." She gave Washu a questioning look.

"We got a quite a load," Washu told her. "But you're not going to like it."

"No surprise there," Ryoko snorted.

_Next: __Get Out of Here Kid _


	30. Get Out of Here Kid

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirty: Get Out of Here Kid_

"What happened?" Kiyone demanded after as Tenchi placed Ayeka on the fainting couch. "I thought that Ryoko couldn't get out of a clothesline!"

"When the progenitor vampire possessed her, she wasn't Ryoko anymore," Washu shrugged. "Her supernatural weaknesses changed. Did you see it? The progenitor relaxed his hold on her just enough to get past this cross." The little genius shook the crucifix in her hand for emphasis. "He must be centuries old to have such fine control like that!"

"No I missed it!" Ryoko growled. "What do you mean, 'I got possessed'?"

Washu turned to face the upset vampire. "It must have happened when I made your mind go blank. He complained that he didn't have total control and inferred that your human soul is interfering with his hold over you. This is excellent news! It means you can still fight against him!"

"That voice, I've heard it before," Kiyone put her hand on her chin. "I can almost place it! It was familiar wasn't it, Tenchi?"

"What?" the solicitor looked up from where he was passing smelling salts in front of Ayeka's face. "You know, now that you mention it, I get the feeling that I _have_ heard that voice before. I just can't remember where…"

"I remember," Washu nodded. "I encountered him at the National Archives. Now I know what he was doing there."

"But why did he tell us his plan?" Tenchi asked her. "Before he took over Ryoko he was telling us _everything_! I just don't get it."

"He must have been asleep," Washu shrugged. Vampires gotta be dormant for eight hours a day. During our questioning we must have woke him up."

"And that's when he took over Ryoko," Kiyone nodded. "I mean totally took her over. It was horrible!"

"Poor Ryoko!" Sasami gasped.

"But what _happened_ to me while I was under?" Ryoko demanded. "What do you mean I was taken over?"

"When your mind went blank we were able to access the thoughts of the creature that did this to you," the little redhead explained. "Unfortunately, it allowed him access to your body and he started getting information out of _us_. And he didn't want to break contact."

"What?" the vampire shuddered. "Access to my body? What do you mean?"

"I mean he controlled your body like a puppet!" Washu exclaimed. "It was amazing! It was as if he possessed your body and was using it as his own! I haven't seen anything like it since Genoa!"

"He was using my body as his own?" Ryoko gasped. "Can he use it anytime he wants? What am I supposed to do now?"

"Stay on guard," Tenchi told her as he strode forward to take her hand. "Reject what your vampire half is telling you and concentrate on what makes you human. Focus on your true identity!"

"Don't let me forget," Ryoko said with moist eyes.

"I won't Ryoko," he assured her as he leaned close to her. Ryoko pursed her lips as their faces got closer… closer… closer…

"Awk!" Ayeka squawked from the couch as she abruptly awoke "Tenchi! Look out! She's going for your neck!"

"I am not!" Scowled a livid Ryoko as she turned to the disoriented heiress. "I'm in control again, I was doing nothing of the kind! So there!"

"Oh I'm sorry, Ryoko," Ayeka blushed. "Is it really you? You had a man's voice, it was so strange…"

Ryoko growled and stomped out of the room.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi extended his hand before he turned to the others. "Someone should go after her."

"You're the only one she trusts," Kiyone said before she gave Washu a dirty look. "She doesn't seem to like doctors."

"Hey!" Washu protested. "What did I do? I just gave her the facts, I didn't sugarcoat it!"

"Maybe you should have," the teal haired doctor grumbled.

"Oh!" Ayeka rose unsteadily to her feet. "I'm so sorry, Tenchi! I didn't mean to upset her! I wasn't quite awake…"

"It's all right, Ayeka, it wasn't your fault," Tenchi assured her.

"Ooh, I feel a bit dizzy," Ayeka sat back down on the fainting couch. "Sasami, tell Nobuyuki to get me a glass of sherry, will you?" There was no answer. "Sasami?" Ayeka glanced right and left.

"Where is she?" Kiyone looked around the room, but there was no sign of the blue haired child or her unique pet.

* * *

Outside Ryoko was sitting on the dock that was between the house's rear patio and the small lake nicknamed 'the pond'.

"Mew! Mew!" Ryo-ohki meowed as she loped over to the miserable vampire.

"Hello, Ryo-ohki," Ryoko muttered while absently stroking the cabbit. "You gotta lotta guts coming out here."

"Oh Ryoko!" Sasami gushed as she approached the vampire's side. "There you are! Are you okay?"

"Do I look like I'm okay?" Ryoko growled.

"There, there, Ryoko," Sasami sat down next to the vampire and put her arms around her. "_I_ still love you."

"Mew," Ryo-ohki put her forepaw on Ryoko's knee in support.

The vampire sighed and put her arm around the child. "Thanks, kiddo I… hey!" Ryoko frowned at the underage domestic. "What's going on? How come I can touch you now? I couldn't touch you earlier!"

"I don't know! What do you suppose it could be, Ryo-ohki?" Sasami asked.

"Meow?" Ryo-ohki seemed to echo the child's question.

"I can touch you!" Ryoko repeated as she pawed Sasami's hair, face, and shoulders. "How could that be?"

"What is the difference between now and when you had breakfast?" Sasami asked before she frowned and stuck her lip out in intense concentration.

"Let's see… at breakfast I…" Ryoko's voice trailed away as she remembered trying to choke down the soup and sausages Sasami served earlier. She had completely lost interest in conventional food when Mihoshi had cut her finger. All she could think about at the time was blood…

Ryoko gaped at the cute little girl in mute horror. Blood! At the time she was trying to drink Sasami's blood! The vampire gagged in horror as the realization hit her. She had attempted to sup on the trusting little girl's blood! She had almost murdered Sasami!

"Get away from me, kid!" Ryoko shouted as she pushed Sasami away. "Servants shouldn't speak to their betters! I hate your guts and I never liked you, not even when I was human! You get back to work and stop bugging me! You better stay away from me, or I'll have you for breakfast next time!"

"Why are you saying that, Ryoko?" the teary-eyed child asked as she and Ryo-ohki backed away from the vampire. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Go away!" Ryoko hollered as she rose to her feat and shook her fist. "Get out here kid, ya bother me! Go on beat it!"

Sasami and Ryo-ohki ran back into the house. Once they were gone, the scowl on Ryoko's face softened and tears trickled out of her eyes. She knelt to the ground and cried into her hands, her body shaking with each sob.

The door to the patio burst open as an irate Ayeka stormed out. "Ryoko, you've gone too far this time! How dare you treat Sasami… oh!" She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Ryoko's undisguised grief. "I'm sorry," the heiress took a step back. "I think I understand."

"I hope you never _do_ understand," Ryoko said before she flew away.

* * *

As the sun became red on the horizon, Mihoshi returned from her errand.

"Ah Mihoshi," Washu smiled grimly as the blonde entered the parlor. "Just in time. Help us look for Ryoko. It's almost time to seal her in for the night. I have a feeling that her progenitor's influence will be stronger at night."

"Oh, there's a special shampoo to get rid of that!" Mihoshi assured her.

Washu stared at the blonde as if she was crazy for almost twenty seconds before she remembered that Mihoshi actually _was_ a mental patient.

* * *

Upstairs, Ayeka entered Ryoko's room. It was unlikely the vampire was in there, but after reading _The Purloined Letter_, the heiress decided there was no point overlooking the obvious.

"Eeeek!" Ayeka screamed as she witnessed her best friend swinging from a hook on the roof with a rope looped around her neck.

"Hello Ayeka," the vampire said miserably.

"Ryoko!" Ayeka gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to hang myself," Ryoko replied with a raspy voice. "Didn't work. Couldn't touch a clothesline so I had to use a regular rope. Bet if it was a clothesline it would've broken my neck painlessly."

"What's going on?" Tenchi cried as he and Kiyone entered the room. "Ryoko! Oh my Gawd!"

"Hi Tenchi," Ryoko mumbled as Kiyone put her hands on Ayeka's shoulders and gently ushered the heiress out of the room.

"What are you doing? Get down from there!" Tenchi ordered. "That isn't funny! Are you trying to kill yourself?" To his credit, he didn't flinch when the vampire vanished from her improvised hangman's noose to appear a few feet in front of him.

"Yes," said the penitent vampire.

"What?" Tenchi gagged. "You are? Oh Ryoko, you don't have to do that!"

"Says you," Ryoko frowned. "I'm a risk to everyone who cares about me! It would be a lot safer for everyone if I put myself out of my misery."

"Ryoko, please!" Tenchi put his hand on her shoulder "Don't do that! We're all pulling for you and…"

"Don't _touch_ me Tenchi!" the vampire snarled as she pushed his hand away. "Are you out of your mind? That's exactly what I want you to do! That way I'll be able to get close to you and bump you off. Get a grip Tenchi, but don't let me get a grip on you. What are you, stupid or something?"

"But you seem perfectly normal right now Ryoko," Tenchi protested.

"That could change at any moment," Ryoko huffed indignantly. "How about the wards?" she asked as she looked at the dustpan tied to the shutters of her window. "Are you sure you'll be able to keep me in here?"

"Why sure," he assured her. "As a matter of fact we're taking extra precautions. We're going to…"

"Don't tell me you bonehead!" she warned him testily. "I'm the last person you should discuss that with! Don't forget that I'm the enemy! Now seal me in! I can feel the darkness growing within me already!"

"Oh… uh okay Ryoko," Tenchi mumbled apologetically. "Goodnight. I'll just uh… lock the door and ward it for tonight okay?"

"Yeah-yeah…" Ryoko made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go. Go on already. Get out of here. We can talk about it in the morning."

"Okay," Tenchi said as she backed out of the door. "Goodnight, Ryoko."

"Goodnight," she said as he shut the door.

He leaned a broom against the door and picked up a box of detergent to make a line in front of the doorway. He almost dropped the box when he heard Ryoko screaming.

"Tenchi! Help! Help me please!"

"Ryoko!" he cried as he opened the door.

"HA!" the vampire seized him by the throat and pushed him roughly against the wall. "You're dead! And now I'm free to kill everybody in the house!" She released him and slapped his face. "You bonehead! What's the matter with you? I just used the oldest trick in the book and you fell for it! Get out of here, and don't unlock that door no matter what!"

"Uh…" Tenchi clutched at his throat in shock. "This was… a test?"

"It might not be next time you big dummy!" Ryoko sneered. "What's wrong with you? Get out, and don't open that door no matter what I say!"

"Okay, you're the boss," he muttered as he stepped outside and shut the door. He leaned the broom against the door and knelt down to pour an unbroken line of detergent into the doorframe.

"AAAAAH!" Ryoko screamed. "Help me! Oh Gawd NO! NO! AAAAAAH!"

"Ryoko!" he opened the door and ran in before he could stop himself.

Ryoko's hand grabbed the back of his neck like a vice. The vampire had been hiding behind the door. "Stupid," she growled as she shook him like a rag doll. "I just killed you and now I'm off to murder everyone in the house. Get out of here and don't come back before daylight, got it?"

"Y-yeah," he nodded after Ryoko released him.

As Tenchi was outside making a line of detergent outside her door he again heard Ryoko's voice. "Oh no! It's you! Stay away! Stay Away! Let go! Please! No! NOOOOOO!"

"Ryoko!" he tore the door open and brandished a wooden cross and a pistol. "Get your away from her!"

Ryoko punched him in the jaw sending him tumbling out of the room into the hall. "What? You got a learning disability or something? I said 'don't let me out'! Maybe someone who isn't so gullible should watch the door."

"Uh… yeah," Tenchi rubbed his injured chin. "Maybe."

_Next: The Coming of Winter_


	31. The Coming of Winter

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker_

_Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra_

_Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu_

_Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray_

_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris_

_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield_

_Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward_

_Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. Additional material by Naoko Hasegawa. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirty-one: The Coming of Winter_

The next day Tenchi decided to relax by spending some time in the garden. It was a good excuse to leave the house while the girls changed from their 'morning dress' to their more practical daywear and it had been a while since the young solicitor had a chance to exercise his green thumb.

As he pulled carrots out of the soil he heard an obnoxious crunching sound. He turned and walked back to the large basket containing his harvest to discover Sasami's unique pet, Ryo-ohki. The little cabbit seemed determined to devour the carrots as fast as Tenchi could harvest them.

"Don't be so greedy!" the young solicitor scolded as pulled the protesting animal out by her long ears. "Tell you what: Next year we'll turn all the fields into carrot fields, okay?"

Although the little animal was at first resigned, suddenly it started struggling. Tenchi released it, thinking that he was injuring it somehow, but the little animal snarled and looked up at the sky. Tenchi turned his gaze upward to see what had bothered the furry creature.

"Huh?" he said as gentle snowflakes started falling. "It's only snow, that's all. So, this is the first time you've ever seen snow."

But Ryo-ohki could not be pacified. Snarling and yowling, it dashed away back to the house.

* * *

In the meantime Ryoko, in a fit of melancholy, visited Tenchi's room. "Ah me," she sighed as she smoothed out her nightgown. "To think that someday I thought we'd be married and share a bed together. Like that's ever gonna happen. Heck, I'll bet this beautiful corpse of mine can't even have kids…" She lay down on his bed and hugged herself. "Oh Tenchi… Tenchi… I wish there was some way for us to get closer. I wish I was in your skin, that I was a part of you." She stopped hugging herself and looked up at the ceiling in resignation. "But I don't dare. If I try to make love with him I might rip his throat out. Dying really sucks. If only there was some way to get close to him. If only…"

She vanished from the bed and reappeared at his wardrobe. She hoped the door and put his hat on. "Tenchi's hat," she sighed. She draped his tie around her shoulders and pulled on it as it was a set of suspender straps. "Tenchi's tie. If only I could wear something more intimate." Bored, her eyes focused on another part of Tenchi's apparel.

* * *

In the dressing room, the other girls were helping each other change from 'morning dress' into their more practical 'daywear'. Thanks to the popularity of corsets and hoop skirts, there really was no way for a fashionable young lady to get dressed without assistance.

"I can't believe that I'm going to wear bloomers," Ayeka sighed as she surveyed the skirtless baggy knee-length trousers. "I really can't. But there's no way I can keep up with supernatural monster-woman unless I have complete freedom of movement."

"Hey, get used to it," Kiyone said as Mihoshi cinched her corset. "Heck, when I know I gotta deal with some violent patients sometimes I just wear guy's clothes."

"Never," Ayeka sniffed disdainfully as she dropped the offending bloomers. "I shall never sink so low. I think that I'll be wearing the purple walking suit today, Sasami."

"Yes, ma'am," Sasami bowed.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Ryoko appeared in the room, clad in a suit of red long underwear.

"Hi guys, I'm up early today," Ryoko greeted as she went to a wardrobe. "Usually I'm out like a light but today I'm restless. Something strange is in the air and it's not just me…"

"Muh-muh-m-miss Ryoko!" Ayeka sputtered. "Just what is that you have on? Is that Tenchi's long underwear I see?"

"So what if it is?" Ryoko said defensively. "What's the big deal? No one is going to see it after I get dressed and this is the closest I'm going to be able to get to him anyway! What makes it any of your business?"

"You've been going through Tenchi's personal things!" Ayeka protested. "You went through his underwear!"

"Thanks for the sympathy," Ryoko huffed. "What are you so upset for? With me out of the way, who do you think's gonna walk down the aisle with Tenchi now? Get real! Who is he going to choose? Miss Brain-dead? Doctor 'I-put-my-career-first? Or Miss 'Idle-rich'? You got nothing to complain about!" She turned to the others. "Come on, Kiyone tell her my behavior is normal. I'm just fantasizing over something I can't have. Right?"

"Uh…" A bead of sweat appeared at Kiyone's temple. "Sure…"

"Wait…" Ryoko looked around as if she was being stalked. "What? Oh no! It can't be! He's here!"

A man's evil laughter echoed through the room, causing the girls to coo like doves as they clutched their clothing to their half-dressed bodies. Before their unbelieving eyes, a tall sinister man in a purple costume with a green cape emerged from the wall as if he was a ghost. He didn't walk forward, he seemed to be floating less than an inch off the ground and simply standing as he thrust himself into the room. "Well, I've finally found you, Ryoko."

"Kagato!" Ryoko snarled. There was no mistaking him. She was flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood. At this range, she knew exactly who he was and what he did to her.

"Aaaah!" Ayeka and Kiyone screamed. "You pervert!"

The elder vampire was momentarily distracted as the girls threw perfume bottles, hair brushes, and anything else they could get a hold of in his direction. In the meantime, Ryoko attempted to sneak away.

It was no use. Kagato extended his hand and green forks of lighting encircled Ryoko's body. Grunting in pain, she fell to the floor, her arms tight against her body and her legs together as if someone had bound her in rope.

"Ryoko! No!" Sasami cried.

Ryoko screamed as an invisible force sent her crashing out the window. Kagato transformed into a green ball of energy and soared out the window after her.

The door to the dressing room burst open and Tenchi and Ryo-ohki ran in. "What's happening?" the young lawyer asked. "Huh?" his eyes bulged at the sight of so many young ladies in their underwear. "Whoa!" he covered his eyes with his hands.

"What in the world is going on here?" a testy Washu snarled as she followed them in. "I can't do my research with all this noise!"

"It was the vampire!" Kiyone gasped. "He took Ryoko!"

"Was that him?" Ayeka gasped. "Was that the creature that did that to Ryoko? Is he back to finish the job?"

"It must be!" Kiyone gasped. "Ayeka, didn't you recognize his voice? The way he was dressed? Ryoko knew him, but he looked younger when we saw him last! It's that count from Transylvania, the one that moved into Carfax Abbey back in London! Kagato!"

"Oh goody!" Mihoshi smiled. "The master is here! I better go prepare some coffee and teacakes!"

The others stared at the blonde in shock and then remembered that Mihoshi was certifiably insane.

"Sh-sure Mihoshi…" Kiyone suggested weakly. "You go do that…"

"Mihoshi, Ryoko's been kidnapped," Sasami whispered.

"Oh!" the dizzy blonde blinked in realization. "Well then! We better go rescue her!"

"Tenchi and I are dressed," Washu declared. "We'll go out and look for them while the rest of you get ready! If you've got to split up travel in pairs. Remember the buddy system. Come on, Tenchi, let's go!"

* * *

Soon Ayeka, Kiyone, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Ryo-ohki were outside in the woods. Snow continued to filter down gently and the already the ground was covered in a frigid white blanket.

The girls were dressed, armed and dangerous. Even little Sasami was armed. Ayeka had her pith helmet on her head, cloves of garlic around her neck, a hunting rifle in her arms, and her rapier at her hip. Kiyone had a crossbow, a bible, and two pistols hidden on her person. Sasami had a tiny crucifix, vials of holy water, and pockets of poppy seeds. Mihoshi had a shotgun, a pistol, and a set of throwing daggers.

Kiyone held her crossbow and shouted. "Kagato, we know you're here somewhere! Come out in the open now! I said come out!"

"Yes! Listen to her Master!" Mihoshi shouted. "There's a dangerous vampire loose somewhere! It isn't safe!"

"Doesn't she realize that _Kagato_ is the vampire?" Sasami asked Ayeka.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring her along," the heiress agreed.

Amazingly, Kiyone's bluff worked. Or maybe the elder vampire was looking for them. A huge sphere of green energy appeared and vanished to reveal the creature that called himself Kagato. This was the first good look at him that they had since their brief encounter at the opera. He was older with snow white hair and sideburns that were so long they drooped down to his shoulders like two ponytails. His skin was the same snow white color as his hair gave him a washed out, cadaverous appearance. But the greatest change was his eyes. Hideous yellow eyes peered over the dark, round-lensed pince-nez perched on the bridge of his nose. He was standing nearly six feet in midair, and when he moved he didn't take a step. He just floated forward as if standing on a platform of thin air.

"Please excuse my behavior earlier," Kagato smiled as he bowed and gestured with hands clad in white kidskin gloves. "I deeply appreciate you coming out to welcome me."

Ryoko appeared in the air and fell to the ground. Tenchi's crimson long underwear was almost completely stained with black mud and Ryoko's skin was the same snow white color as her dominator.

"Ryoko!" Ayeka dashed to her side.

"However, this one belongs to me," the elder vampire continued. "She is - how do I say it delicately - waste product. Still, she is agile. I'll bet she's given you some trouble." He turned his unsettling gaze to the purple-haired heiress. "Ah you are the one who carries the blood of royalty in your veins. Princess Ayeka, don't you think it's best we talk someplace where there's no one to bother us?"

"Hold it right there!" Kiyone pointed her rifle at the elder vampire. "If you take another step towards them I'll blast your head off!"

Kagato seemed to find the threat funny "Oh, my. Oh, my. You really frighten me. It seems you have the drop on me, but you're wrong. Renfield, shoot Doctor Seward won't you? There's a good girl."

"Okay, Master!" Mihoshi said brightly as she raised her shotgun and took aim. "Your wish is my command!"

"Mihoshi, what are you doing?" Kiyone gasped as she dropped her gun and backed away.

"Oh didn't she tell you?" Kagato smiled. "That client she travelled to Transylvania to meet was me. I was the one who wanted to move to England. It's strange that she didn't tell you. Oh that's right, I ordered her not to. Silly me…"

"Mihoshi!" Kiyone cried. "Put down that gun! It's me! Kiyone! Your best friend! It's Kiyone!"

"Oh that's right," Mihoshi frowned as she lowered her gun. "Hey Master, remind me why I'm supposed to shoot Kiyone again? I thought we were after the vampire."

"Miss Renfield, that's an imposter," Kagato replied. "That isn't Miss Kiyone. The vampire has cast a shroud over your minds and is trying to trick you. If you want to save the real Kiyone, you have no choice but to shoot her."

"What!" a white faced Kiyone gasped.

"Funny what the power of suggestion can do isn't it?" Kagato sounded almost bored. "Once they're in a trance, you can tell them anything and they will believe you."

"Mihoshi, don't shoot!" Kiyone cried.

"Give us back Kiyone!" Mihoshi cried as she leveled her gun at the delicious doctor. "I mean it! Let her go or I'll shoot!" With that, the dizzy blonde fired.

"Aaah!" Kiyone was crouched on the ground covering her head with her hands. "Huh?" Amazingly, she wasn't dead. But how? There was no way Mihoshi could miss at that range.

"Miss Renfield, you missed," A testy Kagato informed her as he surveyed the gaping hole in his chest.

The distraught blonde up her hand over her mouth. "Oh! Oh! I'm… sorry Master! I'll do better next time! You'll see!" She pulled out a Colt .45 revolver and fired it until the gun was empty. "Take this!"

Kagato glanced disdainfully down at the six new smoking holes in his chest. "Yes, well… complicated stuff apparently…"

"Aah!" Mihoshi jumped back as tears trickled from her eyes. "I… I… I'm… sorry Master! I… I… I don't know how that happened! I…"

"Wow!" Sasami gasped. "Mihoshi's so dumb she can't follow orders even when she's hypnotized!"

"Who knew that Mihoshi's clueless stupidity could be such an asset?" Ayeka muttered.

"My fault I suppose," Kagato shrugged as the holes in his chest closed and vanished. Even his clothing showed no sign of damage. "It's my fault for destroying her mind in the first place. If I hadn't been so impatient I would have bent her instead of braking her but her will was so strong I felt I had to destroy it…"

"That's what you think!" Kiyone staggered to her feet indignantly. "I think that deep down, Mihoshi is still resisting you! She won't harm us even under hypnosis! Deep inside, she knows who the real enemy is!"

"Oh you think so?" Kagato smiled as he floated towards the teal-haired doctor. "That's all right. I don't really need her to dispose of the rest of you anyway…"

"Get away from her!" Tenchi cried as he ran out of the woods wielding a cavalry sabre.

"It's dangerous to run while carrying such sharp objects," Kagato scolded. "Wave it around like that and you're going to hurt yourself young man."

"Come down here and say that!" Tenchi took a practice swipe in the air. "I hear you can kill a vampire by chopping his head off! Let's find out! Come on down here if you've got the guts!"

"You would fight me with just an ordinary sword?" the vampire blinked in disbelief. "All right, then." He opened his hand a burst of snow flew from his glove towards Tenchi like a concentrated blizzard.

"Aah!" Tenchi cried as he struggled against the elemental onslaught.

"Don't waste your life," Kagato sneered as he reached out the helpless lawyer. "Now. Put. Down. That. Sword."

"Tenchi!" Ryoko flew through the air to tackle the boy and take him out of stream of icy fury her progenitor had summoned.

"Hmmm?" Kagato had never seen one of his unholy progeny commit such a selfless act before.

"Get away from here!" Ryoko gasped as she released Tenchi.

"Fascinating," Kagato frowned with scientific interest. "And what about that boy interests you so much, Ryoko?"

"Argh!" Ryoko clutched her head in pain and then opened her eyes to reveal that the whites were lime green and her pupils a pale orange color. Before anyone could react the voluptuous vampire seized the young lawyer and put him in a headlock.

"Wha… What are you doing?" Tenchi choked out. He couldn't get free. She was too strong. Ryoko had him and could cut off his air or break his neck. Too late, Tenchi remembered that Kagato could take complete control of poor Ryoko. Now there were two hostile vampires instead of one!

_Next: Don't Step Into the Light_


	32. Kagato Attacks!

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirty-two: Kagato Attacks!_

Kagatofloated downwards to face Tenchi, but his feet still didn't touch the ground. "Now then, what power do you have over my creation? She shares my curse and should be under my control, but she's resisting me with all her might. Now why is that? My question is: Are you some sort of sorcerer? Were you born with the power to influence demons?"

Tenchi could barely speak with Ryoko putting a strangle hold on him."Maybe I am! I don't know!"

"I'll ask you again," Kagato ordered, "are you a sorcerer or a necromancer? What House to you belong to?"

"Release her!" Tenchi gasped. "Let Ryoko go…!

"Tenchi! No!" Sasami cried as Ryo-ohki bounded forward. The tiny cabbit jumped up and bit Kagato on his gloved hand. The vampire flung the tiny animal away, but was distracted enough to allow Tenchi to slip out of Ryoko's grasp. Without Kagato controlling her, Ryoko fell unconscious almost immediately.

Tenchi lunged forward and grasped his cavalry sabre with both hands like a samurai warrior. With a battle cry he sliced at Kagato's neck but the elder vampire moved out of the way and the lawyer's blow seemed to slice at empty air.

No. Tenchi had managed to graze the vampire. A line appeared on Kagato's cheek that began oozing a green ichor. The vampire snarled, revealing his bestial nature and preternaturally sharp canine teeth.

The vampire concentrated, the wound disappeared. He held his hand up as if he expected a servant to give him something. Suddenly Ayeka's rapier slid itself out of her scabbard and soared through the air and into Kagato's grasp. "I'll test you," he grunted.

Fortunately, Kagato's technique was all wrong. He treated the sword as if it was a medieval broadsword when the rapier was meant for thrusting. Unfortunately it didn't matter. Kagato seemed to have the strength of Hercules. Every time Tenchi parried he was knocked backwards by the force of the blow. Soon the young lawyer was rolling backwards into a tiny pond.

"This is no fun," the elder vampire grumbled as Tenchi tried to recover. "Do you _enjoy_ making me waste my time?" He held out his left hand, and Tenchi's cavalry sabre was delivered to his grasp. "You won't be needing this," he said as he discarded the blade with a backhand throw.

Thwap! Kagato stared at his forearm in disbelief as a crossbow bolt pierced it. Then he smiled. "Doctor von Washu," he hissed. "I wondered where you were hiding. Your apprentice kept me distracted until you could line up a good shot. You are very clever for someone who has only lived one lifetime!" He threw the rapier towards the trees, causing Washu to squawk as she dropped her crossbow and dodged out of the way.

Frowning, she glanced at the vibrating rapier in the tree and picked up her crossbow. She placed a wooden magazine under the stock and turned a valve on a pneumatic air tank near the trigger. Soon crossbow bolts were flying through the air as if fired from a Gatling gun.

Kagato flew in that strange vertical way of his to dodge behind some trees. "Come Ryoko, I'll give you one more chance," he whispered. Ryoko seemed to be a marionette picked up by invisible strings.

Soon Washu was out of ammunition and she had to change the magazine on her crossbow.

"Well! Professor!" Kagato shouted at the little genius. "It appears that it was _you_ who was challenging my control over Ryoko all along!"

"Come over here and say that!" Washu shouted back. "Or are you afraid of a tiny little girl?"

"My. Aren't we cocky?" Kagato muttered under his breath. "Well see if you make a better bride than Ryoko." He held out his hand.

Washu seemed to be pulled towards him by an invisible force. Smiling grimly, she grabbed the hilt of the rapier and let Kagato's telekinetic force help her pull it out of the tree. She then soared through the air and took up a fencing stance, looking like a ballet dancer as she soared towards him.

Kagato realized that she was using his telekinetic power against him so he released her in order to levitate Tenchi's cavalry sabre to his hand. He was able to parry as Washu thrust at his heart. He chopped at the little genius, but the tiny transvestite wasn't wearing men's clothes for nothing. She was able to dodge by jumping and ducking rather than parrying the blows the way Tenchi tried to.

After one particular chop, Washu was able to spin in the air and land on the flat of Kagato's blade in order to point her rapier at his throat.

Kagato smiled, and when Ryoko tackled Washu from behind the short genius knew why. The little redhead squawked like a duck as she and the enthralled Ryoko rolled on the ground. Ryoko snarled, her body completely taken over by the demon now. She bared her fangs to lunge at Washu's throat…

"Ryoko! Don't!" Sasami cried as she leapt on Ryoko's back. "Don't kill her! You're not a monster! I prayed real hard so you wouldn't be a monster!"

Ryoko screamed as the sound of sizzling bacon was heard. Steam erupted from where Sasami held on, but the little girl didn't let go. The two girls thrashed on the ground until Ryoko's eyes returned to their 'normal' topaz yellow color.

"Thanks, Sasami," Ryoko croaked weakly. "I owe you one. Uh…" Her eyes slid closed as she collapsed.

"Well-well, what do we have here?" Kagato murmured as he floated over to study Sasami. "It seems that the real sorceress is even younger than I thought…"

"You stay away from us," Sasami frowned with childish stubbornness.

"Don't make me la—what?" Kagato's arrogance was replaced with genuine fear. He held his cape in front of him as he backed away. "What is it… innocence? No. Far stronger. Faith. True faith. I didn't think there was any left in the world…"

"Go away," Sasami scowled.

The vampire retreated to a safe distance and resumed his haughty arrogance. "So, I have you to thank for all this. Ryoko isn't really dead, is she? She still has a human soul, doesn't she? And I have you to thank for it, don't I? Tell me little girl: Are you so naïve that you think that a Jewish carpenter died almost nineteen centuries ago just to save _you_?"

"Go away," the child ordered stubbornly. "You don't belong here and you're hurting people. I don't like you and I don't want you here!"

Ayeka and Kiyone ran over to the child in order to benefit from her proximity. She seemed to be a natural counter for Kagato's power. Kiyone knelt to take a look at Ryoko. She seemed half dead as if she was freezing to death. It was then the teal-haired doctor realized that Ryoko didn't seem to have any body heat.

"You have me at a disadvantage," Kagato chuckled arrogantly, "but I think it's time I teach you that your false god can't use you to protect everybody. Observe!" He made a sweeping gesture with his arm and Tenchi Harker was lifted right off his feet. He screamed as he was hurled into the air by an invisible force.

"Oh no! Tenchi!" Sasami dashed away to follow the young lawyer as he rolled through the air and over the lake.

"Sasami, wait!" Washu shouted. "He's trying to get you away from the others!"

Ayeka and Kiyone looked up from where they were nursemaiding the spent and helpless Ryoko. They grimaced in fear when they realized that their protection from the supernatural had abandoned them.

"Sasami!" Ayeka cried. "Come back!"

"Sa…sami…" Ryoko croaked.

"That should be far enough I think," Kagato murmured as he released Tenchi who fell into the center of the frigid lake. The slender young man disappeared under the icy water, shocked by the cold into paralysis.

"Ten...chi…!" Sasami shouted as she and Ryo-ohki helplessly jumped up and down at the water's edge.

"Princess Ayeka," Kagato extended his hand towards the purple-haired heiress. "You're coming with me."

Ayeka screamed as she was levitated into the air and into Kagato's arms.

"I was so distracted by your interesting friends, I forgot why I came here," he smiled. "_Your_ bloodline will allow me extend my powers over the British Empire."

"Help!" Ayeka cried.

"Ayeka!" Ryoko hurled herself at them.

Kagato snapped his fingers, and Ryoko jerked in the air and went limp. She didn't fall to the ground, but hung in the air as if suspended by invisible wires.

"You're an awful bastard, Count!" Washu snarled as she pulled a revolver out of her knickerbockers.

"Look out! She's got a gun! I'll save you Master!" Mihoshi cried as she grasped a pair throwing daggers in each hand and executed an incredible double two hand throw! She gasped, put her hand to her mouth, and then she staggered backwards sniveling. "I am _so_ sorry Master! I don't understand, I…"

Kagato looked behind him to survey the two daggers sticking out of his back. "Miss Renfield, I think I can handle this on my own," he muttered. "You hold the fort while I'm gone, won't you? There's a good girl."

"Okey-dokey, Master!" Mihoshi smiled and saluted. "You can count on me!"

"Good," the vampire nodded before he made a flicking gesture with his hand.

"Whoa, whoa…!" Mihoshi screamed as she tumbled backwards. "Ah!" she cried as she skidded to a halt. "What was that for?"

"For being a total idiot!" Washu snarled as she fired a shot from her gun. She stopped when Kagato levitated Ayeka into her line of fire.

"Careful Professor!" he snickered. "You might hit _me_! Ryoko, entertain the good doctor while Princess Ayeka and I get better acquainted will you?"

Ryoko's limp body snapped to attention and hissed like a cat.

"Damn it!" Washu snarled as she braced herself for Ryoko's attack.

"Garlic?" Kagato sneered as he tore Ayeka's garlic bud necklace way. "Most Effective. But then anything smelly would do. Why didn't you try limburger?"

"Help!" Ayeka cried as the vampire bared his fangs.

Kiyone dashed forward with a Colt revolver in each hand. She fired her pistols but once more Kagato maneuvered a helpless Ayeka in the way. In frustration the delicious doctor holstered her guns and moved to her discarded crossbow.

Washu blocked Ryoko's blow with a karate chop, then flipped over the hypnotized vampire to recover Ayeka's rapier. "Sasami!" she shouted. "Get back here! We need your help on the double!"

"Sasami!" Kiyone cried. "Come back! Come back, we need you!" She aimed her crossbow but it was too late. With an animal snarl, Kagato sunk his fangs into Ayeka's neck. "Oh no! Ayeka! Please let my aim be true!" Gritting her teeth in determination, she fired.

The shot barely missed Ayeka's shoulder and buried itself into Kagato's. With a snarl he threw the wounded Ayeka to the ground. "Keep your phony princess! Although her blood is a delicious nectar it isn't the bloodline I require!" Once again Ryoko jerked and went limp like a puppet on its strings. "You're going to tell me whose blood you sampled, Ryoko! I know you know, and you can't protect the one I want forever!"

"Help…" Ryoko croaked weakly before she was hurled backwards through the air and into Kagato's grasp.

Before their eyes, Kagato and Ryoko vanished into a small tornado of green mist.

"Aaah!" the girls screamed as a fetid blast of wind bowled them over.

Washu picked herself up and brushed snow off her clothing. "All right, roll call! Looks like they're gone! Have we taken any casualties?"

"He's got Ryoko!" Kiyone cried as she brushed the snow out of her eyes.

"I know that!" Washu rolled her eyes. "Any more casualties?"

"I don't see Sasami, Tenchi, or Mihoshi but I think I can see… Ayeka!" Kiyone cried as she dashed to the stricken heiress' side. She turned her over and gasped in horror. "Oh my Gawd!"

Ayeka's neck was bleeding from two angry punctures. The purple-haired girl was hyperventilating, her breath coming in short angry gasps. Her body jerked spasmodically; she seemed to be in a great deal of pain. It was as if Ayeka was having an epileptic fit. Suddenly, the heiress eyes opened to reveal that they had gone blood red! She was making exaggerated biting motions with her jaws!

"Aah!" Kiyone jumped back.

Washu appeared at her side. "It's as I feared," the redhead muttered grimly. "He's done more than merely bite her. I think she's infected!"

"Infected?" Kiyone gasped.

"Staunch that wound!" Washu ordered. "If Ayeka dies, we might have _three_ vampires to worry about!"

"Gah! Uh! Whuh!" Kiyone gasped and shuddered as she backed away.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Washu grasped Kiyone's collar and slapped her with a quick backhand. "Ayeka's dying and we're the two closest doctors! We've got to stop that bleeding and move her _now_!"

"W-what do we do?" Kiyone stammered. "It's like she's got snake venom in her or something! How do we find an antidote in time?"

"We've got to get her to Glastonbury Abbey immediately!" Washu declared.

"What? Glastonbury Abbey?" Kiyone stared at the redhead. "Are you crazy? The place is a ruin! She'll be exposed to the elements! We've got to get her inside…"

"Stay here and take care of her!" Washu ordered. "I'm going to get some transportation! Don't let her heart stop! If we let her die it's two to one that Ayeka will rise from her grave and try to kill us!"

_Next: Don't Step into the Light_


	33. Don't Step into the Light

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirty-three: Don't Step into the Light_

A fetid green mist blew across the land until it reached the sea. The emerald fog coalesced and became two figures. "This will do," Kagato smiled as he dropped the comatose Ryoko. "Time for a little privacy." He extended his hand and humungous stones thrust outward from the sea. Kagato closed his eyes as the stones carved themselves and assembled themselves into a great cathedral.

* * *

At the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, a wagon arrived and Washu and Kiyone hopped off the buckboard only to go to the back and carry Ayeka off in a stretcher. "I still say this is madness!" Kiyone protested. "We should take her back to the house! It's crazy trying to treat her in the field like this!"

"Get the wax out of your ears!" Washu grunted as they rushed to the altar stone in the remains of the Lady Chapel. With no ceiling the altar was exposed to the elements enough to qualify as being 'outside'. "How many times do I gotta tell you? Ayeka is afflicted with an infernal malady. The most effective way to cure her is with celestial power!"

"In that case, we should find Sasami!" Kiyone argued. "Kagato doesn't seem to be able to harm her. In the Bible, people like her were always healing people!"

"If you know where she is, then go get her!" Washu snarled. "If you don't, help me get Ayeka on the altar! Then keep her alive until I get ready!"

"Sasami, where are you?" Kiyone whined.

* * *

Meantime, back in the landscaped valley that was the Murray estate, Sasami knelt in prayer at the shore of the icy lake they had nicknamed 'the pond'. "Please, Tenchi, don't die! Saint Tsunami, don't let him die! Tell God he mustn't die! Oh no! Tenchi!" the girl sobbed. Ryo-ohki yowled mournfully.

"What's the matter, Sasami?" Mihoshi chirped softly as she walked over to the grieving girl. "Did you lose something?"

"Tenchi!" Sasami sniveled into her hands. "Tenchi! He fell in the lake and drowned! He drowned!"

"He fell in the lake?" Mihoshi repeated. "Oh my. I better go get him, then." She stuck a foot into the water and then quickly pulled it out. "EEEK!" she screamed as she hopped about on one foot. "It's cold! It's really cold! Wow! It's freezing!"

Sasami ignored her as she clasped her hands in prayer. "By the celestial seal of the Lord's True Name, please open the path to our ancestors. Heaven to ocean, ocean to earth, earth back to heaven. Show me the path engraved by the light."

The child vanished in a shower of sparks that flew through the air and plunged into the lake. Ryo-ohki meowed in alarm.

"Wow, I better go back and change my shoes," Mihoshi chirped. "What do you think, Sasami? Sasami?" The blond looked around. "Where did she go?"

Ryo-ohki yowled mournfully as a tear appeared in her eye.

* * *

Tenchi was floating in darkness. It was so cold that he had gone completely numb. He was so weak he couldn't move. He couldn't think. He could only assume that this was what death was like, and that he should try to get used to it.

A crack of energy opened into a brilliant rectangle of blinding white light. Tenchi didn't have the strength to move his hands to protect his face so he settled for squinting. It was strange. No matter how bright the light was, it didn't hurt. As a matter of fact, he could make out shapes in the blinding brilliance. From the shining portal, a feminine form drifted through the water towards him. Unbelievably, she was dry. Even though her long skyblue ponytails and her flowing robes moved and drifted as the water reacted to her presence, she was perfectly dry. She was beautiful. With her round lineless face and her bubblegum pink eyes, she looked just like an adult version of…

"Sasami?" he asked out loud. That was impossible. He couldn't speak. He was underwater. He was drowning, or frozen solid before he could drown. In any case he shouldn't have been able to speak at all, let alone in such a clear ordinary tone. Then he remembered that he was dead and it really didn't matter.

"Over the years, I have gone by many names," the woman said in a gentle caring tone. "I have been known as Mary Magdalene, the Lady of the Lake, Saint Sara of Wales, but Sasami calls me Saint Tsunami."

"Tsunami?" Tenchi asked. He was able to move! His strength had returned. He felt fine. But how? He treaded water in order to remain level with her. He shouldn't have been able to speak or move, but he figured that since he was dead he should just accept it. "What is that behind you? Is that Heaven?"

"Don't worry about it." Tsunami chuckled self-consciously. "That's just a shortcut back to my house. Don't worry, you aren't dead. Not yet. Sasami and the others still need you. You have to protect them."

"That light…" Tenchi stared in awe. "That rectangle of light… It's like a door in the middle of space! I think I see… My dead relatives! Look! It's my mother! She's so happy! Everything worked out!"

"Don't worry about the light, Tenchi!" Tsunami's voice sounded anxious as she placed her hands on his face to get his attention. "Try not to look at the light."

"I should go over there," Tenchi mused. "I must talk to her."

"Don't step into the light, Tenchi," Tsunami kept herself between Tenchi and the distant glowing portal. "Not yet, anyway. You still have too much to do."

"I want to go," Tenchi moaned. "I'm tired and I want to go. To go into the light. I want to go Home."

"I won't stop you," Tsunami nodded with understanding as she released him. "It's just that the girls need you to defeat Kagato."

"Defeat Kagato?" Tenchi repeated. "But how? I'm no match for him."

"Maybe you need something that will level the playing field," Tsunami suggested. "Here." She pulled a silvery sword from over her shoulder as if she was wearing an invisible baldric and scabbard. It was the size of a Roman _gladius_, but with a crossguard to protect the hand. "I gave this to a friend a long time ago, and he did some amazing things with it," she said as she put it in Tenchi's hand. "This should help you in your struggle against the vampire, but I have to warn you: It's only as powerful as your faith in God and your devotion to justice. Use it wisely and it will never fail you."

Tenchi looked sadly at the glowing rectangle of light. "I'm sorry Mom, but they need me out here. I'll be back someday. I promise."

"Let's get you out of the water, okay?" Tsunami offered as she put her arm around him. Without kicking their feet or swimming a stroke, they rose of the dark water and reached the surface.

"Help!" Sasami gasped as she floundered in the water. "I can't swim!"

Tenchi seized the child and held her above the water as he swam for shore. Where was Tsunami? What was Sasami doing in the water? Did angels need to borrow physical forms when they manifested on Earth or was it just coincidence? And how was he able to be such a good swimmer when he was fully dressed and carrying both a short sword _and_ a struggling child?

Soon, the waterlogged duo reached the shore as Mihoshi and Ryo-ohki ran up to them. "Oh wow!" Mihoshi gushed. "I don't believe it! How did you manage to hold your breath that long? It's a miracle!"

"It sure is," Tenchi nodded gratefully. "Now we have to take care of Sasami. She must be half drowned… huh?"

Little Sasami was perfectly dry if one didn't count the tears running down her rosy cheeks. She hugged Tenchi gratefully as Ryo-ohki hopped on top of her head to nuzzle the young solicitor too. "Oh Tenchi! You're all right! You're all right!" the child gushed. "I prayed real hard for God to save you! He sent an angel, did He? He sent Tsunami to save you!"

"Wow! Where?" Mihoshi shaded her eyes and looked around. "Let me see! I've never seen a real angel before!"

"It think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Tenchi smiled. "But before Tsunami disappeared she gave me this!" He held out the short sword proudly. It was a silvery blade with a golden pommel. Despite being in the water, it wasn't wet and was perfectly polished. "She said that this would change the odds!" Tenchi declared defiantly. "I don't know how this works, but I'm betting that it comes from the same place that angels do! With luck, when Kagato gets hurt with this, he'll _stay_ hurt!"

Sasami frowned. "Don't say 'luck' Tenchi," the child scolded. "You're not giving the Lord credit when you say blame it on 'luck'!"

Tenchi gasped in fear. He realized that he should have been suffering from hypothermia in his wet clothes, but he felt fine. Better start showing some gratitude! "You're right, Sasami! I should be stone cold dead! I meant that _Lord willing_, when Kagato gets hurt with this, he'll stay hurt! That's what I meant!"

"Good," the child smiled.

"The question is, which way did he go?" Tenchi looked around.

"Who?" Mihoshi shielded her eyes to glance left and right again. "The master? We've got to find him, there's a dangerous vampire on the loose!"

"I think he went that way, to the west, towards the ocean," Sasami pointed hesitantly as she held Ryo-ohki. "That's the way he went. I'm sure of it."

"Really?" Tenchi asked her. "How do you know that?"

"I'm afraid to go that way," she said miserably. "There's evil there."

* * *

A few miles away by the sea, an unnatural cathedral like edifice had risen out of the ocean. Inside Kagato grasped Ryoko's forehead and lifted her off her feet with one hand. "Tell me, Ryoko… who else have you bitten other than your little friend Ayeka? Whose blood have you sampled?"

"I… I… only bit Ayeka!" Ryoko gasped as human tears trickled out of her eyes. "I swear! I don't remember biting anybody else!"

"That human soul of yours is getting troublesome," Kagato sneered. "You should be merely an extension of my own body. Reading your mind shouldn't be this difficult. I'm tempted to sacrifice my scientific curiosity and just kill you all over again. Would you like that?"

"No!" Ryoko cried. "Let go of me! I'm not your slave anymore! I'm not one of your vampires! I'm a human being!"

"Human being?" Kagato repeated with disdain. "When compared to the infinite will of the universe, human feelings amount to little nothing more that dust." He flung her to the floor and extended his hand towards her. Tendrils of red smoke snaked towards her like the tentacles of an octopus. "You know, as a vampire, I can change my shape. Should I change your shape also? I've only allowed you to keep your current form only because it was convenient. I could've turned you into anything that I wanted... Like a stone. Shall I turn you into a stone? Would that make you happy?"

"No…!" Ryoko sobbed as the tendrils became solid crimson bonds. "Let me go, please! Please let me go!"

* * *

Back at Glastonbury Abbey, Ayeka was laid on the altar stone between the two logs that Washu had hauled up there earlier. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and her breath came in short gasps.

"What are _you_ supposed to be?" Kiyone sneered at Doctor von Washu.

"I'm dressed in the attire of a traditional Hebrew Rabbi," Washu sniffed. "I'm Jewish on my mother's side. My mother came from the Frankensteins of Brooklyn. With a name like 'Frankenstein', what did you expect?"

"Ew, you're _Jewish_?" Kiyone took a step back. "And _American_ at the same time? This just gets worse and worse!"

"Can the xenophobic bigotry Kiyone," Washu sneered. "You've got a Japanese mother _yourself_ you know." Washu finished painting a large glyph on the second log. Now both logs had a large Hebrew glyph on them. "In this case, we can put my heritage to good use. I was going to channel the energy from the surrounding area into my golems but instead I'm going to set up a circuit between Ayeka and the two logs to purify her chi."

"What?" Kiyone couldn't believe she was listening to this quack.

"I'm going to use my golem ceremony to flush out the wound," Washu clarified. "Ayeka isn't just wounded, she's being possessed. I've got to flush the demon out with the celestial power drawn from this holy site. Now let me work. I didn't have a lot of time to set this up and I had to make it up by the seat of my pants!"

"Ayeka's going to die…" Kiyone moaned.

Washu burned incense and chanted an incantation in ancient Hebrew.

"I don't think that God approves because it's about to rain," Kiyone sneered.

"Wait for it," Washu snapped.

Out of the cloudy sky a bolt of lightning struck Ayeka as she lay on the altar. The purple haired heiress screamed as twin forks of electricity shot forth from her body to bathe the two logs in crackling energy.

"Ayeka!" Kiyone screamed. Before Kiyone's unbelieving gaze, Ayeka's country tweeds vanished to be replaced by a flowing white robe. "It's… it's impossible!"

"It worked!" Washu backed away and removed her ceremonial headdress. "It's amazing, it actually worked! Am I a genius or what?"

"What… what happened?" Ayeka asked as she sat up on the altar stone. Where am I? What's going on?"

"Ayeka!" Kiyone jogged over and hugged her. "You're all right! Wait! Your eyes! They're as red as merlot!"

"What's going on?" Ayeka demanded as she brushed Kiyone off to get to her feet. "Where's Ryoko? Where's Tenchi? What happened to Kagato? I demand that someone answer me!"

"Wow, she's acting like she's had too much coffee," Kiyone murmured as she backed away to stand next to Washu.

"It must be the extra energy," Washu whispered as she removed her ceremonial robes to reveal that she was wearing country tweeds and knickerbockers underneath. "She's got more life energy in her than everybody else. If she was a sorceress, she'd have power to perform magic. As it is, she's just hyperactive."

"What's going on? Somebody answer me! This is an order!" Ayeka squawked as she walked first in one direction, and then another."

"We have returned to fulfill our vow, my lady," A deep rumbling voice boomed.

"Who's there?" Ayeka turned sharply. "Who said that? I demand and answer!"

"_He_ did," a high pitched voice chimed in. "Is there something wrong, m'lady? He's right in front of you."

"Where are you?" Ayeka shouted. "Come out! Wherever you're hiding, come out!"

"We're right here," the deep voice rumbled as one of the logs slid forward. "Allow me to introduce myself," it said as a blue light flashed in synchronization with its words. "I am Sir Azaka, at your service."

The second log slid forward. A red light flashed as it spoke. "I am Sir Kamadake, at your service. We have returned from the dead to defend our descendant from the supernatural."

"That's you, isn't it?" the log calling itself 'Azaka' asked.

"It's got to be her," the one called 'Kamadake' insisted. "Our very souls are bound with hers! Can't you feel it?"

"But why doesn't she recognize us?" Azaka asked, before it pivoted to face Ayeka again. "Dear lady, didn't you summon us back from the afterlife?"

"Is something infernal out to get you?" Kamadake added.

"I-I-I-I…" Ayeka stammered as her red eyes grew as wide as saucers.

_Next: The Lair of the Beast_


	34. The Lair of the Beast

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirty-four: The Lair of the Beast_

"What's happening?" Kiyone whispered to Washu.

"I used a variation on my golem ceremony to purify Ayeka's energy," Washu hissed back. "The original ceremony was supposed to bind the two golems into Ayeka's service when I brought them to life. Looks like that's exactly what happened!"

"Good afternoon, my lady," the log calling itself 'Azaka' tilted forward and Ayeka scampered backwards. "It is an honor to protect one as young and virtuous as you. Might I ask you your name?"

"I… I… I… Ayeka," the purple-haired heiress stammered. "Ayeka Murray."

"Pleased to make you acquaintance Lady Ayeka Murray," the log calling itself 'Kamadake' moved forward and tilted in Ayeka's direction.

"Our swords are pledged in your service!" the two logs chorused.

The log with the red glyph painted on it turned to face the log with the blue glyph painted on it. "Hey Azaka?" it chirped in its high pitched voice. "Something's wrong! Where are our swords?"

"And while you're at it, where are our arms and legs for that matter?" Azaka rumbled back. "And where are our faces?"

"Why we're nothing but two giant logs!" Kamadake exclaimed. "How are we supposed to protect anyone like this?"

"Now Kamadake, a true samurai doesn't make excuses, he overcomes challenges," Azaka scolded. "We'll just have to think of something."

"I spent my entire life mastering the sword!" Kamadake squawked. "Now I don't even have a hand to _hold _a sword!"

"How do you think _I_ feel?" Azaka fumed. "Before we died, we swore a vow. We'll just have to go on as best we can!"

The two logs turned to face Ayeka.

"Our apologies, Lady Ayeka," Azaka rumbled.

"We apologize for that shameful display," Kamadake chimed in.

"No… no… that's okay," Ayeka nodded warily. To be honest it came as sort of a relief. It meant that inside those two massive logs were two reasonable human beings. They were people, not things. "Washu!" she shouted at the little redhead. "I thought you were going to carve them into the likeness of two samurai warriors!"

"Give me a break," Washu put her hands on her hips. "You were dying. I had to purify your chi as fast as I could. I had no time to carve them!"

"So just by coming to life we saved Lady Ayeka," Azaka rumbled.

"That's something at least," Kamadake squeaked.

"This is amazing!" Kiyone gasped. "So you did it? You summoned the spirits of two of Ayeka's ancestors? But I thought they were Japanese! How is it that they can they speak English?"

"Ayeka speaks English doesn't she?" Kamadake asked.

"Our life forces are bound with Lady Ayeka's," Azaka clarified. "So of course we are familiar with her language and customs."

"We even know who Geoffrey Chaucer is," Kamadake boasted.

"This is wonderful!" Ayeka gushed. "We've got reinforcements! Two trained soldiers who can lead us into battle!" She turned to face the two logs. "Azaka! Kamadake! Glastonbury has been attacked by foul vampire! It has poor Ryoko in its clutches and maybe the others as well! We must find it and destroy it!"

"Our swords are in your service!" the two logs chorused.

Azaka pivoted to face Kamadake and then added. "Er… although I suppose that we're really _shields_ now."

"So, where are they?" Kiyone asked.

"Ayeka is now connected to the energy of the surrounding area," Washu said. "Maybe she knows. Ayeka is there anywhere were the natural energy of the land is being disrupted?"

Ayeka closed her eyes and concentrated. She turned towards the west and opened her eyes. "Yes," she nodded. "That way. That way leads to unspeakable foulness! That must be where that creature has poor Ryoko. Where are Tenchi and the others? Have you seen them?"

"We got separated," Kiyone told them. "But they were breathing. I only hope that Tenchi took Mihoshi and Sasami home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tenchi was at Ayeka's stable fastening a saddle on a horse. Sasami and Mihoshi were with him. Sasami always had a calming effect on animals and the horse stood perfectly still as Tenchi buckled the saddle and placed a bit in its mouth. It was strange. Normally, a horse moved or passively resisted but when Sasami was around they usually behaved as if they had been trained by the Queen's Life Guard. Animals weren't dangerous or unpredictable around living saints, Tenchi decided.

"I'm sorry," the young solicitor insisted, "but you can't go with me! It's too dangerous! Now let me go!"

"Please Tenchi!" Sasami sobbed while wrapping her little arms around his waist. "Please let us come with you!"

"Yes, the master needs us!" Mihoshi added.

"I said 'no' and I meant 'no!'" Tenchi shouted. "I can't possibly expose the two of you to danger," he added softly. "I'm sorry. Please understand."

"But you'll need us to know where to go!" Sasami pointed out. "Without us, you could be going up and down the coast for hours!"

Tenchi's face burned red as he realized they were right. Sasami knew where God was absent and Mihoshi may have had a mental link with her dominator. "Darn it," he grumbled.

* * *

"I don't believe it!" Kiyone shouted as she clung to the side of Kamadake. "How do they fly?"

"I think that Ayeka is doing it for them!" Washu cried from atop her perch atop the flying log that was Kamadake. "She's got so much excess energy in her system that she's become a sorceress!"

"Onward!" Ayeka cried as she rode the log that was Azaka sidesaddle. "Onward my mighty warriors! We must free Ryoko from the vampire's grasp!"

"Yes, milady!" the two logs chorused.

"Just close your eyes and hold on tight!" Washu shouted.

Kiyone closed her eyes and whimpered as she held on to Kamadake for dear life.

* * *

In the meantime, Kagato was seated on a marble throne and watching the bizarre sight of Ayeka, Washu, and Kiyone flying through the air while riding a pair of three foot diameter logs. The image of the uncanny group was depicted in the middle of a large crystal sphere that was propped on a golden stand. Ryoko was nearby, bound to the floor by what appeared to be red bands of crystal.

"Here they come, the fools," the elder vampire muttered. "It's strange. They're coming here to throw away their lives to save someone as defective as you."

"If you lay your dirty hands on Tenchi, I swear you'll be sorry!" Ryoko shrieked. "I swear you'll be sorry!"

"What are you talking about?" Kagato sneered. "I've already thrown that boy of yours into the center of a frozen lake. In that temperature it's a death sentence. He sank and he never came back up. He's not a factor anymore."

"W-what?" Ryoko whispered as a tear escaped her eye. "Tenchi?"

"Heh-heh," Kagato chuckled as he rose from his seat to stride towards an archway. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'd better prepare to welcome our guests."

Ryoko didn't even perceive him leaving. She stared up at the ceiling in shock. Tenchi was dead. It was her fault. It had happened when Kagato had control of her. She was flesh of his flesh and blood of his blood. Ryoko frowned and grit her teeth. No. Not anymore. She was a human being! She had no relation to the creature that had taken her beloved Tenchi from her. He had never given up on her and had faith that in her undead corpse, a living breathing woman still existed. And now he was gone. Just like that. Kagato didn't even break his neck, he just threw him into the lake like a piece of garbage. Like a piece of _garbage_…!

"HAAAAAAAAAH!" Ryoko screamed as her body flexed against the red crystal bonds trapping her. "HAAAAAAAAAH!" Her entire body changed into mist and swirled around inside the blood red crystal ribs that had encircled her. "AAAAAAAAAAH!" her scream culminated was the vermillion bonds shattered like glass. "AAAAAH!"

Ryoko appeared standing in a circle of crimson shards, her head bowed on her fists clenched. Sobbing, she fell to her knees before she pulled herself back to her feet. "Kagato," she muttered. "You have stolen the one who was most precious to me, and I will make you pay." Suddenly she leaped forward and screamed at the top of her lungs. "YOU WILL PAY!"

* * *

Outside, Azaka and Kamadake had landed at the crude rocky castle that Kagato had summoned from the shallow shoals. Ayeka, Washu, and Kiyone were preparing The girls were dressed, armed and dangerous. Even little Sasami was armed. Ayeka was cocking her hunting rifle while Kiyone checked her pistols. Washu adjusted the pneumatic pump on her crossbow.

"Here we are," Washu grumbled. "The belly of the beast."

"This wasn't here before," Kiyone said through clenched teeth. "Where did this castle come from?"

"It doesn't matter," Ayeka sneered. "All I know is where it's going… Listen! What was that? Was that Ryoko?"

The girls entered a low archway and were surprised to discover three hallways extending left, right, and straight ahead.

"Right," Ayeka nodded. "We'll split up. Doctor, you take the left and Kiyone will take the right and I'll take dead center."

"'Split up'?" Kiyone protested. "Are you insane? Even _I'_ve read enough gothic horrors to know that you never want to alone in places like this!"

"We'll be able to cover more ground faster," Ayeka assured her.

"What?" sneered the teal-haired doctor. "You've got some luncheon you'll be late to if you dawdle? There is a vampire in there that is going to kill us!"

"Ryoko's screaming has stopped," Ayeka told her. "We've got to get to her while there's still time…"

"And do what exactly?" Kiyone demanded. "In case you didn't notice, he handed us our rumps last time we tangled with him! And we don't have the numbers we had last time! I'm a doctor, not a police officer!"

"Where's von Washu?" Ayeka looked around. The little redhead had disappeared. Had she gone off by herself? "That settles it. You can stay out here if you like but I'm going in. We're only about fifty feet from shore. If anything happens to Azaka and Kamadake, it should be easy enough to swim for it."

"I'm not being left alone!" Kiyone declared. "I'm coming with you!"

"So are we!" Azaka cried. "Er, at least we will when we find a doorway we can fit through." It was true. Azaka and Kamadake were six feet tall and the opening was only five feet. The exterior of the castle was just a jumble of rocks compared to the interior that was constructed in a more orderly fashion. Azaka and Kamadake didn't seem to be able to levitate while in a horizontal position or didn't want to try.

"This is terrible!" Kamadake squeaked. "How are we supposed to protect Lady Ayeka when we can get in there?"

"Don't worry," Azaka assured him. "We won't give up until we find a way in!"

"_Then_ we'll give up?" asked a skeptical Kamadake.

Azaka said nothing, but steam seemed to rise from his surface.

* * *

As Ayeka and Kiyone walked down the central hall, the stone became more worked and smooth as they went deeper in. Soon the floor was decorated in a black and white checkered tile, as if they were on a giant chess board. Still they were completely unprepared when they entered a large chamber that appeared to be the atrium to a gothic cathedral.

Kagato was there waiting for them. "Welcome to my chapel, ladies," he purred as he extended his arm in an exaggerated greeting.

"You!" Ayeka hissed venomously. "Where's Ryoko?"

"I'm afraid she's tied up at the moment," the vampire quipped. "Will I do?"

"I'll make you pay for what you did to Ryoko and me!" Ayeka snarled. "You demonic scoundrel!"

"Is that a term of affection or do you just not like me?" his smiled didn't quite reach his eyes.

"That's right, make jokes!" Ayeka smiled grimly as she marched over towards him. "I'm not the same harmless little girl that you attacked earlier today! I've got the power of the land coursing through me! Let's see how you take _this_!" A wave of energy burst from Ayeka's hands. The air seemed to buckle and waver as if exposed to a terrific heat.

Unfortunately, the waves of heat seemed to be hitting an invisible wall only inches in front of the ancient vampire. "You're quite powerful, Miss Muray but you forget that I've been manipulating energy like that since before your ancestors were born. You may be a talented child, but a true master of sorcery would know how to redirect such energy… like this!"

"Ah!" a wave of rippling heat knocked Ayeka down and she skidded backwards to come to a stop at Kiyone's feet.

"What am I doing here?" Kiyone whined as she fired her crossbow at him.

Her heart sank as with a gesture, he knocked the crossbow bolt out of the air without even touching it.

"That really works up an appetite!" he joked evilly.

_Next: At Your Service_


	35. At Your Service

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirty-five: At Your Service_

"No!" Kiyone shouted as she closed her eyes.

"That's the best you've got?" Kagato floated forward in mock disappointment. "That's the best plan you came up with? No researching my family tree, no clever supernatural weapons, not even a crummy garlic bud. Shameful," he turned his head disdainfully. "I was hoping for more entertaining sport. I'll just have to ruthlessly pursue my goal, I suppose. Doctor Seward," he turned his inhuman gaze towards the terrified alienist. "I haven't sampled _your _blood. Could it be that _you_ have the bloodline of Arthur Pendragon? That's impossible, Ryoko didn't bite _you_. She bit your false princess, the lovely Miss Murray." He turned his attention to the reeling Ayeka. "How is that possible? What are you hiding?"

"Ayeka!" Kiyone knelt and shook the stunned heiress awake. "Do something incredible! Use your powers!"

"Your blood obviously has some power, Miss Murray, but why did Ryoko taste the blood of Arthur Pendragon when she bit you and I did not?" Kagato mused. "I can tell that you now have a connection with the land. Could it be that our experience awakened something…Hayah!" he cried as a sword burst through his chest. Ryoko had snuck up behind him and thrust a rapier into his back.

His body vanished as Ryoko staggered forwards, unbalanced by the force of her own blow. "His Shadow!" she gasped just before Kagato appeared out of the shadows to seize her by the throat.

"I'm not impressed Ryoko, you managed to gain control of your limbs but still couldn't tell the difference between the real me and my Shadow," he smirked as his hand closed around her throat like a vise. "Did you really think you could sneak up on me, Ryoko? You are flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood. Your every action is an open book to me! You have about as much chance of outwitting me as I have of being outwitted by my own foot! Still you arrived in time to tell me how you awoke Miss Ayeka's dormant bloodline…" Suddenly, a crossbow bolt pierced his forearm breaking off his remarks. "What?" he gasped as he released the young vampire.

"Hold it right there!" Washu commanded as she reloaded her crossbow. "Doctor von Washu, professor of metaphysics, at your service!"

"Well… Professor..." Kagato smiled as he clenched his fist. The crossbow bolt broke in two and fell away without even leaving rips on his sleeve. "Better late than never. Where were you, I've been waiting for you. I'm about to run a little experiment and I might need a lab assistant."

"A lab assistant?" Washu sneered. "As if! Science and metaphysics have come a long way in the last five hundred years, and you're stuck in the days of King Arthur! You could be _my_ lab assistant, if there was still a human being in there!"

"What unbelievable arrogance," the ancient vampire snorted. "You haven't even lived a single lifetime and you think you know it all? Do you _really_ think your little toys and my own progeny can destroy me? I would have thought that a genius like you would have thought things through."

"Oh, I have," Washu set down the crossbow and strolled forward with her hands in her pockets. "Ryoko isn't part of you anymore. She's become a cancer that will destroy your black heart from within. Her living soul gives her the ability to defy you and the curse you inflicted upon her gives her the strength to defeat you."

"Please," Kagato snorted. "Even if she _could_ defy me I've had centuries to hone my powers and she hasn't even had one cycle of the moon to discover hers."

"I know, that's why it's time to level the playing field," With one fluid motion she pulled her hands out of her pockets to reveal two vials of clear water and flung the liquid into his face. "Have some holy water! It's Vatican approved!"

"Curse you von Washu!" he snarled as he staggered backwards clawing at his face. Steam rose from the blisters that bubbled on his flesh.

"What are you waiting for, Ryoko? An engraved invitation? Get him!" the redhead commanded. "Clobber him before he recovers!"

"What?" Ryoko blinked. "Got it! HEYUGH!" with an animal grunt, she raised her sword and dove on top of elder vampire.

"Von Washu, over here!" Kiyone called as she dragged Ayeka back into the corridor.

Washu knelt to examine the heiress as the two vampires battled it out. "Here, hold up this cross," she commanded as she handed Kiyone a large crucifix. "It will keep him away for a little while. Ayeka, wake up!" Washu tapped the back of Ayeka's neck and the heiress woke up sputtering and alert.

"What's going on? Where am I? Did we get him?" Ayeka asked.

"No time to explain," Washu told her. "You told me that on the night Ryoko 'died' she was lured out of the house, right? That was the night you had garlic hanging from the ceiling."

"Yes, what of it?" Ayeka asked as rose to a crouching position. The sight of Ryoko and Kagato swordfighting while flying through the air was distracting.

"So garlic might work as an allergen after all," Washu guessed. "Look, that holy water is only going to weaken Kagato for so long, then he'll squash Ryoko like a bug. We've got to bring him down to her level. Are you alright? Can you access your new 'witchy' powers?"

"I think so," Ayeka nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

"Your power seems to manifest through plants," Washu smiled as she pressed a garlic bud into Ayeka's hands. "See what you can do with this."

At that moment a blow from Kagato disarmed Ryoko and sent the young vampire tumbling backwards. Before her progenitor could finish her a cluster of objects appeared around him. "What?" Kagato grimaced as the swarm of garlic buds enveloped his body. He glanced around and flexed his legs as if trying to run away, but his feet seemed rooted to the floor.

"Now's my chance!" Ryoko cried as she flew into the air and bodyslammed a massive stone pillar. As the pillar fell, Kagato could only cry out as it crushed him, shattering into deadly fragments as it hit floor.

"Ha!" Ryoko grunted in triumph. "Everybody all right?" she asked the crouching women in the archway.

Ayeka coughed before finally gasping. "We'll live."

"All right!" Kiyone cheered as she wiped dust off her feet and rose to her feet. "She nailed him!"

"I sure hope she did," Washu said as she peeked over her fan.

Ryoko landed and surveyed the damage. "That pillar was very dense. At the very least is should have… Aah!" Ryoko cried as a hand poked out of the floor and seized her by the ankle. Ryoko screamed as Kagato rose out of the ground and slammed her into the floor. Pieces of stone broke off from the impact and droplets of blood flew out of the young vampire's mouth.

A medieval longsword flew through the air and the elder vampire caught it. He stabbed downwards, but Ryoko sank into the shattered floor as if it was water. A burst of energy exploded, obscuring Kagato's face in a puff of smoke.

Kiyone and Washu ran away from the gasping Ayeka, who was leaning against a massive pillar to gather her strength for another blow.

"Where are your manners, 'Princess' Ayeka?" Kagato snarled as a green burst of energy shot of his hand.

Ayeka put her hands up in a warding gesture and the energy bent around her before the invisible bubble protecting her broke. With a painful cry, Ayeka tumbled backwards and fell on her back.

Behind Kagato, Ryoko rose out of the floor. When she tried to tackle him from behind, he turned and raised his hand in a halting gesture. Helpless, Ryoko could only strain against unseen restraints as her body was paralyzed. With a dismissive wave of his hand, Kagato telekinetically pushed the screaming Ryoko through the air until she impacted with the wall.

"Come to me, Ayeka," Kagato gestured towards the stunned heiress. Helpless, she rose to her feet with a glassy look in her eyes.

"Oh no you don't!" Washu said as she and Kiyone interposed themselves between Ayeka and the vampire. In the redhead's hand was a large ornate crucifix. "This should weaken you enough to give Ryoko a chance to recover!"

"I've got you Ayeka," Kiyone said as the heiress steadied herself in her arms.

"Very clever Doctor von Washu," Kagato nodded grudgingly. "Even I can't do anything to Ayeka while she's under your protection."

"We don't you leave us alone? 'Cause if you do, I'll let you go free," the short scientist bluffed coyly. In the meantime Ryoko grimaced in pain and as she freed herself from the wall and left a Ryoko-shaped impact crater.

"Go free?" Kagato chuckled in disbelief.

"Ryoko and Ayeka are not under your power anymore!" Washu declared defiantly.

"You forget which one of us is the student, Professor!" Kagato sneered threateningly. "Do you really think I haven't learned anything in the past five hundred years? I've learned to manipulate the energy that flows through all living things, accomplishing feats that both mortals and vampires couldn't dream of!" He gestured back at his rebellious progeny. "You want me to lift her curse, so be wary of what you ask for! Ayeka may be under your protection, but Ryoko is all mine!"

Ryoko cried out in pain and dropped to the floor.

"What did you do?" Washu screeched as Ryoko was dragged towards Kagato by an invisible hand.

"I'm merely doing what you asked for," He smiled sinisterly. "I'm lifting the curse. Very slowly and painfully. Ryoko is now flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood. Should I revoke the gift of immortality that I have given her she'll become just like the rest of my meals—a lifeless corpse!"

"I forbid it!" Ayeka gasped.

"'Princess' Ayeka, you're in no position to forbid anything," he said dryly, "and since you're not cooperating, I'll just have to kill your best friend a second time."

"No!" Ayeka gasped. "Please don't!"

"There's one final use for you Ryoko," Kagato said as he picked up the young vampire by grasping her forehead. "When you lose consciousness, I can use your living soul to get right past that silly cross the doctor's holding. Then I can drain all your friends dry until I get the bloodline I need. I'm sorry you won't live to see me as the ruler of the entire world…"

"I'm sorry… Tenchi!" Ryoko gasped out as a tear escaped her eye.

Suddenly a flashing blade appeared out of the darkness and severed Kagato's arm.

"Nyah!" Kagato snarled as he backed away. His forearm vanished only to reform at its proper place at his elbow. Even his sleeve reappeared completely intact. "What _was_ that?" he snapped as he looked up from his arm.

Washu, Ayeka, and Kiyone stared in disbelief. "Tenchi!" Ayeka breathed.

Ryoko opened her eyes to find herself held by the young solicitor's strong arms. She gasped before weakly asking "Are you real?"

"I'm no ghost!" the smiling young man announced proudly.

"Didn't think you were _still alive_ kid," Kagato admitted.

"Don't worry, Master, we're here to save you!" Mihoshi waved from an opening in the wall.

"Mihoshi get back it's too dangerous!" Sasami pleaded but it was no use. The befuddled blonde climbed down a pile of rubble, forcing the child to climb after her.

Tenchi gently set Ryoko back on the floor.

"No, Tenchi don't!" Ryoko pleaded in a hoarse voice.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he assured her.

"Well what do you plan to do?" Kagato challenged.

Tenchi frowned at the ancient vampire. He reached to his side, but there was nothing there! When he set Ryoko down, he had set down the sword Saint Tsunami had given him too! He was unarmed! He glanced fearfully in Kagato's direction. Over ten feet was between himself and his enemy, but that was nothing to a creature that could fly, vanish, and who knows what else!

"And now I'm worried," Washu used the hand she wasn't using to hold up a crucifix to wave a fan in front of herself. Kiyone and Ayeka fell to the ground. Sasami knelt, closed her eyes and started praying.

If only he had a distraction! The sword was so close! It was right behind the prone Ryoko. She was almost laying on it! Kagato might not even be able to see the sword Tsunami gave him, the sword that could kill that undead creature for real! It was possible that the vampire didn't know how Tenchi wounded him…

"Tenchi, let us handle this," Said a large log with a blue glyph painted on it.

"What?" Before Tenchi's disbelieving eyes, two vertical wooden cylinders passed him and Ryoko to close on Kagato. What were they? It didn't matter what they were! This was the distraction he was asking for!

"What a comical pair you two are," Kagato sniffed in disgust.

"I got it!" Tenchi cheered as he picked up the sword. He whirled around in time to see the two logs fly backwards and bounce off the walls. Amazingly, the two logs didn't shatter against the stone wall but made huge rectangular impressions. Now he recognized them! They were the logs Washu was going to carve into warriors and place the spirits of two of Ayeka's ancestors into. Apparently the eccentric scientist had skipped the carving phase. "You two, look after Ryoko," he ordered.

"Yes sir," they chorused. Perhaps they could lend Ayeka some of their energy and she could do something clever with it.

Tenchi charged forward roaring a battle cry but when he swung the short sword over his head Kagato seized his arm. "I don't understand!" the young solicitor gasped as he was pulled off his feet to hang helplessly in Kagato's iron grip. "This isn't supposed to happen! It's a magic sword!"

"What's the matter? Your magic sword doesn't help anymore?" the elder vampire gloated. "The problem is that you think that magic is just magic! The laws of thermodynamics and the laws of metaphysics are exactly the same, boy! The supernatural needs a source of power to work properly! Power that you obviously don't have! If only you had left these women behind you could have remained alive."

"I would rather die than forsake anyone of them," Tenchi announced defiantly.

_Next: The True Heir_


	36. The True Heir

_Galaxy 1001D presents: _

**Bram Stoker's Kagato**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker**_

_**Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu**_

_**Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward**_

_**Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way._

_Based on "Dracula" by Bram Stoker_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Thirty-six: The True Heir_

Kagato laughed as he threw Tenchi across the chamber with a casual flick of his wrist. Tenchi hit the stone wall and sank to his knees. Kagato was only toying with them! They only lived as long as they were amusing to the ancient vampire, then he would finish them. How could they hope to defeat something so powerful?

"No," Tenchi gasped as knelt in shock. "This can't be the end…"

"Do something brilliant!" Ayeka demanded as she towered over Washu. "You're the leading expert on the supernatural aren't you?"

"She's right!" Kiyone said as she conferred with the heiress and the redhead. "There's got to be something you haven't thought of!"

"Well there's still one thing we can try," Washu offered.

"What is it?" Ayeka asked.

"We can all pray really hard," the ingenious carrot top clasped her hands and bowed her head as Kiyone and Ayeka swooned backwards in shock. Washu started chanting a strange mantra.

"I pray really hard in Sunday School!" Mihoshi smiled cheerfully as she reloaded Kiyone's crossbow.

Sasami dashed across to the room to reach Tenchi's side. "Tenchi!" the child squeaked. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry to fail you," he said as he looked away from the child, but whether he was speaking to Sasami or Saint Tsunami was debatable. "I'm not strong enough to rescue Ryoko…"

"Of course you're not, silly!" Sasami frowned. "None of us are!"

"What?" That was the last thing he expected her to say.

"Tenchi, only the Lord is powerful enough to defeat the Devil!" Sasami explained. She seemed exasperated, as if what she said should be obvious. "All this time, have you ever tried praying really, really hard?"

Tenchi's eyes widened in realization. He hadn't! Even after his near death experience and receiving a holy sword from an angel from Heaven he never once gave thanks to the Lord for saving his life! He was treating the entire ordeal as some kind of dream because if he fully believed what was happening he afraid he would panic and run away. Didn't Tsunami say that the sword she had given him was only as powerful as his faith in God and his devotion to justice?

Tenchi bowed pressed the hilt of the sword to his forehead. "Heavenly Father give me the strength and the ability to do Your Will. Forgive me for my sins and allow me to save these women. Lend me Your Power and the power of my ancestors."

In the meantime, Azaka and Kamadake had tried to attack Kagato. The ancient vampire threw the two logs across the chamber where they thundered like an avalanche. Ayeka winced as her two ancestors bounced and rolled helplessly like a couple of toy blocks thrown by an angry child.

Kagato rose to his full height and red lightning bolts crackled in his hands. Ryoko screamed as crimson bolts of lightning arced across her body. Apparently the elder vampire was drawing strength from his progeny without even touching her. Sasami ran across the room to Ryoko's side. Somehow the child's proximity broke the connection between the two vampires and Ryoko collapsed in exhaustion in the little girl's arms.

Kagato glanced over at the two. "I was going to dispose of you later but why not now?" he muttered. He extended his hand in Sasami's direction, but his view was obstructed by a determined Tenchi who stepped in between the vampire and his target. "You must be made of iron," Kagato sneered. "You really _are_ a glutton for punishment aren't you boy?"

"Tenchi! Run! Get away!" Ryoko cried as Sasami walked away from her to approach the solicitor and his foe. Sadly, as soon as the child left Ryoko's presence the blood red lightning bolts started to course along her body once again. "Ah! Please… please don't…" she moaned weakly as she flopped on the floor in an attempt to painfully crawl forward. "You've got the rest of us… please… spare him…" she gasped.

"Can this boy mean that much to you?" Kagato sneered as his stricken progeny. "Well not to worry…" he mused as he extended his hand towards Tenchi and took aim. "Very soon you and 'Princess' Ayeka will join him. Very soon indeed. He won't be alone in death."

"NO…!" Ryoko painful cry drowned out the sound of Kagato's laughter as tears ran down her cheeks.

A green burst of energy erupted from the ancient vampire's hand. Tenchi made no move to get away. On the contrary, his head was bowed in prayer as he held the hilt of the sword up to his closed eyes. Sasami clasped her hands as she crouched behind him with her head bowed and eyes closed.

An emerald explosion sent bits of stone flying as black clouds of dust obscured vision. "Now it's your turn," Kagato said as he turned back to Washu, Ayeka, Mihoshi and Kiyone. In his peripheral vision, the vampire spied a glowing cross of white light appear in the cloud of smoke where Tenchi and Sasami had been standing. "Huh? Impossible! How could…?"

He trailed off when he saw Tenchi and Sasami standing behind a glowing cross projected by the glowing sword in the lawyer's hand.

"That sword!" Kagato gasped. "It can't be! That means…!"

The glowing cross moved backwards over Tenchi and his clothing changed. Rather than the bedraggled country tweed suit he had been wearing he was now wearing a poufy blue shirt, short red breeches, a red cape, blue stockings, red boots and a blue tabard emblazoned with a coat of arms depicting three gold crowns arranged vertically over each other. A thick gold belt was around his waist and a golden circlet covered his brow.

"It's _you_!" Kagato growled. "_You're_ the last son of Pendragon! _You're_ the heir to King Arthur! The one with the royal bloodline is _you_!"

"Tenchi's… nosebleed," Ryoko gasped as she remembered the corset incident. "I tasted Tenchi's blood before Ayeka's…"

Tenchi held the sword so that the blade was pointing at the ceiling. Before everyone's eyes, the small Roman _gladius _lengthened into a medieval longsword.

"The legendary sword Excalibur!" Washu gushed. "I never thought I'd see it…!"

With an animal cry, Kagato let loose a blaze of emerald energy. Tenchi blocked it with a shining kite shield that appeared magically in his off hand. "No!" the elder vampire cried as he telekinetically hurled boulder sized debris at the lawyer. "Get him!" They harmlessly bounced off Tenchi's shield or were batted out of the air by Tenchi's sword. "I've got you!" Kagato growled as he telekinetically recovered the sword he had threatened Ryoko with and lunged across the chamber at Tenchi in one spectacular leap!

"Hiyah!" Tenchi cried as his shield vanished and he swung Excalibur with both hands. Kagato blocked it with his sword and the two of them grimaced as they tried to overpower each other. Somehow, the smaller Tenchi was able to push the vampire back. Kagato staggered backwards separating himself from his foe when…

Thunk! A crossbow bolt hit Kagato almost square in the chest. The wooden projectile was just off to the right, exactly over the vampire's heart.

"Oh no!" a teary eyed Mihoshi dropped the crossbow and staggered backwards while clutching the sides of her head. "Master! I am _so_! _Sorry_!"

"Renfield!" Kagato growled as he dropped his sword and fell to his knees. "You… idiot…" he hissed in a hoarse whisper.

"Tenchi!" Washu snapped. "Now's your chance!"

"That's right!" Ayeka squeaked. "End this nightmare!"

"You're right," Tenchi smiled as he glanced at Ryoko. "Ryoko herself is more than we can handle! There's not enough room for _two_ vampires!" He held Excalibur with both hands like a samurai warrior. "There can be only one!" he cried as he swung the sword like an American baseball player.

The blade took Kagato's head off without resistance and black energy burned out of the stump of his neck. Tenchi yelped and scurried backwards as the vampire's body writhed on the ground and burned to a crisp under the black flames emanating from its head and body.

Ryoko screamed and convulsed as her body was wracked with unbearable agony. Eventually she collapsed and whined pitifully before Ayeka, Tenchi, Sasami, and Washu scampered over to her. "Ow…" she sniveled as Tenchi and Ayeka pulled her to a sitting position. Tenchi dropped his sword as his clothing changed back into the bedraggled 19th century country tweeds and Excalibur once again resembled a smaller Roman _gladius_.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi gasped. "Your face, it's different!"

"What's wrong with my face?" the young vampire groaned. "Don't tell me that with Kagato destroyed I look even _older_!"

"No! Younger!" Ayeka smiled. "Even though your hair is still silver and your eyes are still golden you look like a twenty-year old again! Don't you see? You're getting better!"

"Now that the progenitor is dead we can cure you!" Washu grinned. "Now we can cure the disease instead of merely treating the symptoms!"

"Hooray!" Sasami cheered. "You're getting better!"

"Yeah!" Ryoko smiled radiantly as they helped her to her feet.

The ceiling rumbled ominously overhead. "Uh-oh!" Washu frowned. "Now that Kagato is destroyed there's nothing to keep this collection of rocks from falling apart and tumbling into the sea! Ayeka, _you've_ got a connection with the land. See if you and your guardians can keep the chi flowing through this place until we're safely out of here!"

"Azaka! Kamadake!" Ayeka called out to her wooden guardians. "Lend me your power until we can leave this place!"

"Yes ma'am!" the logs chorused. Ayeka closed her eyes and spread her arms. Little wooden cylinders appeared in air above them to float as if suspended on invisible wires. Before Tenchi's unbelieving eyes, the entire chamber was filled with tiny logs.

"Oh… Master!" a heartbroken Mihoshi wept by the pile of ashes and charred bones that was once the ancient vampire Kagato. "I'm so sorry! I tried to hit the vampire… and I got you by mistake! Please get better! Please-please-please!"

"Mihoshi," Kiyone put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "It's alright. _Count Kagato_ was the vampire. He was controlling your mind. He cast a spell on you."

"He did?" Mihoshi blinked in confusion. "He was?"

"Yes," Kiyone nodded. "But it's over now. He's gone. You're free! Don't you see? You don't ever have to follow anyone's orders again!"

"I'm… I'm free," Mihoshi gasped quietly before her voice rose in a shrill cheer.  
"I'm free! I'm really free! This is wonderful! I'm actually free! Huh?" She looked around to see her friends and two logs at the far end of the chamber.

"Quick Mihoshi! Hurry up!" Kiyone shouted as she gestured to the clueless blonde. "We don't know how long Ayeka can hold this place together!"

"Ooh! Yezzz Master! I'm coming!" the demented blonde rasped sinisterly while shambling like a limping hunchback.

* * *

A few days later outside Ayeka's country house Ryoko was putting laundry on a clothesline to dry. "I don't get this!" the young vampire growled. "How come I got to do all the work around here? Don't you have servants to do this, Ayeka?"

"What are you complaining about?" Ayeka swatted Ryoko with a boom. "Sasami's been having to cook nonstop ever since you got your appetite back. Besides, it's part of your therapy. Industry is a Christian virtue. Housework won't kill you anymore. You're just lazy. After you finish with this it's on to Bible Study." She gave her friend another swat with the broom.

"Ow!" Ryoko vanished to reappear behind Ayeka and rub her head. "Will you stop that? I'm not immune to getting hurt anymore! Mops and brooms don't kill me, but now I get hurt just like anyone else! When are you going to lay off?"

"When you stop flying and disappearing for starters," Ayeka retorted. "Don't forget, as long as I remain in Glastonbury, Azaka and Kamadake recharge my energy. I can remain a witch as long as you remain a vampire, and _somebody_ has to instill a little discipline in you."

"You're enjoying this _way_ too much, Ayeka!" Ryoko growled as she picked up a rake and held it like a quarterstaff. "I think _you're_ the one who needs a little discipline!"

"Now put down that rake!" Ayeka screeched as the heiress readied herself with her broom. "Giving in to your negative impulses will just make it take longer for you to get back to normal!"

"Quit your whining!" Ryoko snarled. "You heal faster than _anyone _these days! As long as your stupid logs are you supplying energy, you could probably heal broken bones in less than a day!" Her golden eyes narrowed evilly. "I think I'll conduct a little experiment…"

"You just try it!" Ayeka threatened as she brandished her broom. "You still heal pretty quick too so I won't hold back!"

Watching the dueling duo were two massive logs. "So how long do think we're going to remain here on Earth, Azaka?" the log with the red glyph chirped.

"As long as Lady Ayeka is threatened by the supernatural," the log with the blue glyph rumbled. "We might as well make ourselves comfortable Kamadake. It looks like we're going to be here for some time."

As the sounds of battle echoed in the distance Tenchi looked out at the lake while glancing momentarily at the short sword in his hand.

Washu walked over to him. "Penny for your thoughts, Tenchi?" the little genius asked. "You've been pretty quiet for the last few days."

"I just can't believe I'm a descendant of King Arthur," he replied. "That after one and a half millennia my bloodline was strong enough to allow me to wield Excalibur, the legendary Excalibur! You'd think there would be too many peasants in my background for that to happen."

"Well technically, there _are_ too many peasants in your background for your royal blood to manifest without a little help," Washu admitted. "If it wasn't for an equally weak royal bloodline you got from Japan you probably couldn't hold that sword, let alone wield it."

"Wait a minute, von Washu, are you saying that the only reason I was British enough to be King Arthur is because I'm half _Japanese_?"

"Yep," Washu smiled. "Never be ashamed of your exotic background Tenchi. Thanks to your foreign mother you're as British as bangers and mash! So what are you going to do now? Overthrow Queen Victoria and claim your throne?"

"No," Tenchi shook his head. "King Arthur got this sword because he deserved it. This is a Celestial object, not of this Earth. If I keep it I run the risk of causing a holy war or starting a new religion. I should send it back where it came from and trust that it will be given to a worthy champion the next time the supernatural threatens England."

"Humble _and_ cute," Washu nodded. "I can see why the girls fight over you all the time. I might throw my hat into the ring myself."

Tenchi blushed before taking an athletic stance and throwing the sword over the lake as far as he could. Before the sword hit the water, a hand poked out of the lake and caught it by the hilt. Emerging from the lake was the robed and smiling form of Tsunami, standing on the surface of the water as if it was a solid floor. Perfectly dry, the angel waved and smiled at the duo.

"Hey everyone!" Tenchi called. "It's an angel! It's Saint Tsunami herself! Come and see!"

"What?" Kiyone said as she jogged over to the shore. "An angel? I don't believe it! Mihoshi, you've got to see this!"

"Oh boy!" Mihoshi cheered as she dashed out of the house. "A real angel! Where? I wanna see!"

"I knew you were real Saint Tsunami!" Sasami gushed as she jogged to the lake. "I prayed real hard, and you always came through for me!"

"Meow!" smiled little Ryo-ohki who was running beside her. "Meow! Meow!"

"An angel!" Ryoko paled as she floated over to the shore. "I don't believe it!"

"This must be the angel that Sasami prayed to!" Ayeka cried as she caught up with the others. "She must be the reason you're still alive!"

"Can we go home now?" Azaka rumbled. "I'm sure that Lady Ayeka is finally safe from the supernatural."

"Yes," Kamadake chirped. "I'm sure Ryoko won't hurt her. We'd really like to go back to Heaven now. Please…?"

"A full corporal celestial manifestation!" Washu gasped. "The lady of the lake no less! Of course! King Arthur was England's first Christian king! The lady of the lake was an angel of the Lord the entire time!"

"Thanks for everything, Tsumani," Tenchi smiled as the girls assembled around him. "Thanks for restoring Ryoko and restoring our faith in the Lord. And thank you for having faith in _us_."

Giggling girlishly, Tsunami spread her wings as the sun created a halo behind her. She made a square with her fingers in order to frame Tenchi and the others. While standing between Azaka and Kamadake, they were all in a bunch by the lakeshore as if they were posing for a group photo. Even though it was the middle of autumn here in Glastonbury, for Tenchi and the girls it was the beginning of a whole new spring.

END


End file.
